rolex_kentucky

David O'Connor, the reigning Olympic Champion as well as the reigning Rolex-Kentucky Champion has three horses entered: Custom Made, the horse on which he won the Gold Medal in Sydney, in 2000: The Native, on whom he won the Fair Hill CCI***, last fall See photo right of David and The Native at Fair Hill, 2001; and Tigger Too, third at Fair Hill, in 2001 and the recent winner of an advanced section at the Morven Park Horse Trials.

Karen O'Connor, a member of the USET's Bronze Medal winning team at Sydney, has four entered - she will only be permitted to ride three-: Bally Mar, the former ride of the late Jim Stamets, who has been going very well for Karen at the spring horse trials: Grand Slam, 10th at the Fair Hill CCI*** last fall; Upstage, 4th at Fair Hill, in 2001; and Regal Scot, the former ride of Kiwi Mark Todd, who has had a year and a half off after having been chosen to go to Sydney with Karen, in 2000, but later forced to break quarantine due to an ankle problem. Regal Scot won an advanced section at Southern Pines. Grand Slam won an advanced section at Morven.

Other USET Olympians entered at Rolex are Bobby Costello with Chevalier and Dalliance; and Nina Fout with 3 Magic Beans.

Kim Vinoski, of Scottsville, VA has entered her 2001 Blenheim (England) CCI*** winner Winsome Andante, who most recently won the CIC*** at North Georgia, as well as a new ride, Royal Venture, who completed the Adelaide CCI****, in Australia with Sam Lyle.

Phillip Dutton, an Australian national who resides in West Grove, PA, will ride Mrs. Annie Jones' Cayman Went, second at Fair Hill last fall and Hannigan, who completed the Burghley CCI****, in 14th place last fall.

Olivia Bunn will complete the Aussie contingent. She will travel half way around the world, from the Antipodes, to ride GV Top of the Line. Olivia was 8th at the World Equestrian Games, in Italy, in 1998, riding GV Braveheart.

Three well known competitors from the UK will be making the trip across the Atlantic to compete in Kentucky.

William Fox-Pitt plans to bring his 2001 European Championships Team Gold Medal ride Stunning. Stunning, formerly ridden by New Zealand's double Olympic Gold Medalist Mark Todd, competed at Kentucky in 2000 with Todd. Fox-Pitt won the Blenheim CCI*** with Stunning in 2000. In addition Fox-Pitt plans to run Springleaze Macaroo. That pair finished 3rd at the Thirlestane CIC***, in 2001 and 9th at Burghley last year. (See picture left of Springleaze Macaroo jumping into the Trout Hatchery at Burghley last fall.) Most recently, they finished 6th in the advanced a Belton, April 14th, in a prep for Kentucky.

Leslie Law has entered the grey Shear L'Eau, who has finished 5th at the Saumur CCI***, in France in 2000, and 13th there in 2001. Shear L'Eau finished 2nd in an advanced section at Burnham Market over Easter weekend, this year.

Clare Phillips will be riding her long time partner Capuchin. These two started their long career together by winning the Necarne CCI**, in Ireland, in 1997, and last fall finished the Burghley CCI****. The pair finished 3rd in an advanced section at Burnham Market on March 29th of this year.

Scotsman Ian Stark, brings Saucy Brown, who finished 4th at Kentucky, in 1999; and Jaybee, Ian's Badminton winner from 1999, who was also his mount at the Sydney Olympic Games, in 2000. (See picture right of Stark and Jay Bee jumping into the water at Badminton in 1999.)Stark finished 5th at Lexington last year with Arakai.

Eddy Stibbe, who is based in England, but rides for the Netherlands Antilles, will ride Autumn Breeze III. This horse was 7th at the Tweseldown OI on March 8th and 15th in an Advanced section at Burnham Market on March 29th, with Stibbe. American eventing fans will remember Autumn Breeze III as The Honourable Bob, who finished 18th at Rolex last year, when ridden by Karen Dixon.

There have been several interesting changes to the course at Rolex-Kentucky. The steeplechase phase will once again be held on the polo field, rather than on the former property of Nanki Doubleday, where it had been in 2000 and in 2001.

The first water will consist of a log bounce in and a narrow table out.

There will once again be a corner in the water at the Head of the Lake complex.(See photo right of the corner as constructed at Mick Costello's work shop at the Horse Park.)

The track after the Head of the Lake no longer crosses the road, but turns sharp left to an oxer, formerly sited near the Hollow, which will be installed over the existing ditch near the Head of the Lake. The difficulty here may be increased by the large crowds in the area. (See photo left of the oxer in its original position.)

The Hollow, after the Root Cellar, has been completely rebuilt. There will be a stone wall, topped by a rail, and followed by a big drop into the Hollow and a staircase out, which will be followed by the Fox, that used to be in the Stadium.(See photo right of the new staircase The Fox will be placed where the log is at the top of the photograph.

A new corner has been built at the Wishing Well so that the short route will consist of a right hand corner to a right hand corner, on a left bending line. The fact that this complex is fairly near the end of the course should add to its difficulty. (See photo below left of the second corner at the Wishing Well, taken from the landing side)

Although Badminton is planning to experiment with one or two "break away" fences there will be none at Kentucky this year.

With 67 horses still entered at this writing, Kentucky should prove to be a very exciting CCI**** competition.

Research for this article was done by Emily Pocock.