Lexington, Ky., April 27, 2014 — Phillip Dutton won the Land Rover Best Ride of the Day award on Saturday at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover. His prize was a two-year lease on a 2013 Range Rover Evoque, a car he drove away on Saturday afternoon.
Dutton won the Land Rover Ride of the Day on Trading Aces, with whom he was placed ninth after cross-country. The Land Rover Best Ride of the Day award goes to the U.S. rider who finishes closest to the optimum time, with no jumping penalties.
Dutton, of West Grove, Pa., was the fifth rider on the cross-country course with Trading Aces, and he finished exactly on the optimum time of 11:12, checking his watch often as he neared the end of the course.
Dutton has only been riding Trading Aces for a few weeks, substituting for his friend Boyd Martin, who broke his leg in a fall from another horse during an event in March. Martin retired Trading Aces late on course in 2013, but Dutton credited Martin with giving the horse increased experience and fitness since then. “All credit to Boyd and everyone who’s worked with him,” said Dutton.
Dutton smiled and said he would not be sharing his Evoque with Martin, because Martin had won a different model of car with Trading Aces earlier this year.
The Range Rover Evoque, introduced in 2012, features a new ZF-9HP nine-speed automatic transmission to enhance performance and efficiency and a suspension configured for dynamic and agile handling across varied terrain. The Evoque is available in three models, each with a unique design theme.
The Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Land Rover, April 24-27 at the Kentucky Horse Park, is one of the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions 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.
The 2014 Kentucky Three-Day Event is a selection trial for the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and will crown the 17th Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion. The only four-star event in the Western Hemisphere, Rolex Kentucky draws an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 spectators and is seen by millions more on worldwide telecasts.
This year, for the first time ever, Rolex Kentucky includes a team challenge. The Dubarry of Ireland Nations Team Challenge will award $20,000 in prize money, while helping national teams prepare for the team competition at the World Equestrian Games this summer. The winning nation will be the nation with the fewest penalties after adding together the final scores of the three highest-placed individuals from that nation.
Rolex Kentucky is a fun time for all in attendance. Aside from the competition, the event features exquisite shopping in the Sponsor Village; an International Trade Fair with almost 200 booths and tents displaying designer clothing, artwork, gifts, sport clothing, horse-related items, and event souvenir items; and the brand-new “Kentucky Uncovered,” which highlights products unique to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rolex Kentucky also features a variety of other entertaining attractions. General admission to the Kentucky Horse Park, America’s only theme park dedicated to horses, is included with each Rolex Kentucky ticket.
Coverage of America’s only Four Star Event includes an NBC broadcast – the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover – which will air on Sunday, May 4. All four days of the competition is being streamed online LIVE on USEFNetwork.com, presented by SmartPak, beginning on Thursday, April 24.
For equestrian fans throughout the rest of the world, FEI TV is airing LIVE coverage of Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping competitions. To sign up for FEI TV, visit www.feitv.org.
The broadcast schedule is listed below, and is also available on the USEF Network coverage page, www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2014Rolex/. All broadcast times are subject to change.
*April 27: LIVE Show Jumping on USEFNetwork.com, 1:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT
Awards Ceremony on USEFNetwork.com, 3:00 p.m. EDT
*May 4: Rolex Equestrian Championships on NBC, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
