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Lexington, KY - With the sunshine came the first day of dressage at the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone. After a week of rain, the sun shone brightly and the wind blew through the Kentucky Horse Park. Spectators that were here first thing were treated to the best test of the day as Allison Springer took the lead with Arthur.

The pair was first in the ring - and their score of 42.3 rewarded an elegant effort for a pair that frequently lands atop the dressage leaderboard. Great Britain's Mary King, who was third last weekend at the Mitsubishi Motors Horse Trials. cruised into second place on Derek Rostron Baden's Kings Temptress with a score of 47.7. William Coleman and Twizzel were third as Jim Wildasen's 15-year-old Westfalen contested his first USEF National CCI4* Championship.

Arthur, who Springer owns with her parents William and Caroline, is very experienced even though he is only 12 years old, but he isn't always the most manageable in an electric environment.

"He's growing up a little, he's 12 now," said Springer about the rangey chestnut Irish Sport Horse. "I think he will always be who he is, and I'm becoming more comfortable with that. He is a quirky, nervous horse. He is enormously talented, and I think he's been waiting for me to learn a little bit more, which I've been working really hard on - to ride him as well as he needs to be ridden. But, I will certainly say that over the past year I've been thrilled that I've been able to keep weight on this horse and his condition."

Allison Springer and Arthur

Shannon Brinkman Photo

Arthur has extraordinary paces, movement and panache when he allows his mind to settle. He has been on a roll in 2011, highlighted by a win in the CIC3* at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in March.

"I knew it was a good test, but certainly my goal was to be in the 30s for sure - 36 or 37," said Springer. "I wanted it to be much better because he is perfectly capable of it and I'm perfectly capable of it. I know we are going to do that someday. I was very pleased with the changes. There were a couple of things due to the tension that didn't flow as much as I'd like, but he was very good. So, I'm not disappointed in him at all."

With some big names, including last year's winner of this event, William Fox-Pitt, and last weekend's Badminton winner Mark Todd competing tomorrow, Springer knows that her score will be challenged.

"I did feel that coming out of the ring that a 42.3 is a great dressage score. I don't think its good enough. I think we're going to see some in the 30s tomorrow - I hope so. But, that's being a competitor; you're always pushing to be better."

At the end of the day tomorrow, Springer will ride Destination Known, Arthur's polar opposite at the end of the day tomorrow. The grey Thoroughbred cross gelding will be attempting the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* for the first time.

Coleman and Twizzel produced a standard classy performance - always looking for more, Coleman was realistic about his performance in the difficult test.

"I thought he was pretty good," said Coleman. "I have been working hard on those changes so I wish they'd been a little bit better. It wasn't our best test but we're happy to be in third and I hope we're still close after tomorrow.

Tomorrow's dressage features the second half of the field. Hannah Sue Burnett, the 2009 USEF National CCI2* Champion and the 2010 National CCI3* Champion will lead things off at 10 a.m. Burnett will look to lay the first stone on the path to a fourth star for St. Barth's championship record.

Springer also won the competitor drawing at Wednesday's Competitor's Party for a Rolex watch, 10 minutes after she was awarded a pair of Dubarry boots for being judged 'best turned out female rider' at the First Horse Inspection.

ENDS

The complete order is available here: http://www.rk3de.org/timetable.php

Watch the competition live (and free) on http://www.usefnetwork.com/Rolex3Day2011/

Springer Starts A Winning Streak at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bridgestone

Lexington, Ky.,April 28, 2011— Allison Springer has won every award given out thus far at this Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone. Scoring 42.3 penalties as the first horse in the ring, Springer, of Marshall, Va., and Arthur immediately grabbed first place on the first of two days of dressage and never let go.

Mary King of Great Britain rode King’s Temptress into second place, scoring 47.7, and Will Coleman, of Charlottesville, Va., rode Twizzel into third place, scoring 48.2. Three-time Rolex Kentucky winner Kim Severson is fourth on Tipperary Liadhnan (48.5).

The start/finish for the WEG, and I wanted to make use of the work that we’d done, so my challenge was to come up with something that was a bit different” than the WEJust the night before, Springer had claimned two other awards. First, she won a pair of DuBarry boots as the best-dressed female rider at the first horse inspection, and then she won the competitors’ drawing for a Rolex watch. While wearing her new Rolex, Springer said she’s hoping even more to win the watch that goes to the winner on Sunday.

“I think I’ve just got to roll with these good vibes. I fully intend on making it continue to go well,” she said, adding, “It’s a great dressage score, but I don’t think it’s good enough. I think we’re going to see some 30s tomorrow.”

Reflecting more on Arthur’s test, Springer said, “I had a great warm-up, but I felt pretty much throughout my test that it could have gone a little bit better.”

This is Arthur’s fourth start at Rolex Kentucky, but on Friday Springer, 36, will be competing Destination Known for the first itme at Rolex Kentucky. So she said she won’t be worrying about the waterlogged cross-country course until her second dressage test is finished.

“I’m not worried about it yet, because I think that this ground can take the water, and this is a phenomenal crew, so I know they’re going to make it a perfect competition,” she said.

Springer said that she likes the challenges created by Derek di Grazia, who’s designing the Rolex Kentucky course for the first time. “It’s really, really thoughtful, and I like the path of the course. I like the feel of it. But I’ve got to ride every single fence, because it is a four-star course,” she said.

Di Grazia, of Monterey, Calif., is very familiar with the Kentucky Horse Park. He won the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1985, he’s designed courses for other events here for many years, and he assisted predecessor Mike Etherington-Smith for the last two years at Rolex Kentucky and at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“We did a lot of work on the footing and changed the start/finish for the WEG, and I wanted to make use of the work that we’d done, so my challenge was to come up with something that was a bit different” than the WEG," said di Grazia.

Despite the heavier-than-normal precipitation, di Grazia said he shares Springer’s confidence that the ground will dry out well by the start of cross-country at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning. But, he noted dryly, the Sunken Road (fence 11) “will have a new added attraction this year, which is water. It’s almost overflowing now, and it’s definitely going still to be there on Saturday, at least some of it. I think it will be the first time ever there’s been water in the Sunken Road. “

This year, the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup is making its debut alongside the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and it will feature the world’s best reiners including the four members of the Gold Medal team from last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, all of whom are entered to compete.

On Thursday afternoon, the reining ground jury accepted 20 horses to start on Friday night. The Ariat Kentucky Reining cup will conclude with the freestyle on Saturday night.

Lisa Coulter and Tom McCutcheon won the DuBary Style Award as the best-dressed female and male riders at the reining horse inspection.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is part of the HSBC FEI ClassicsTM and features the world’s best horses and riders vying for their share of $250,000 in prize money as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing which is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley Four Star Events in succession.

Further information on the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bridgestone, is available at the Rolex Kentucky website (www.rk3de.org). For the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup visit www.KentuckyReining.com.

Follow Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone and the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup online at:

1. Alison Springer (USA), Arthur - 42.3
2. Mary King (GBR), King's Temptress - 47.7
3. William Coleman (USA), Twizzel - 48.2
4. Kim Severson (USA), Tipperary Liadhnan - 48.5
5. Boyd Martin (USA), Remington XXV - 48.0
6. Michael Pollard (USA), Icarus - 52.5