The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing

February 9, 2023

The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing


Almost everybody has heard of a “grand slam.” In its most common use, it refers to when a baseball player hits a home run with the bases loaded, but it also has uses in equestrian sports from horse racing to show jumping and of course, our favorite eventing! When referring to the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, we’re specifically referring to the challenge of winning the three premiere competitions at the highest levels of eventing: Badminton Horse Trials and Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in Britain and the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in the USA. Ready to learn more about this incredible challenge, what it entails, and past winners? Let’s go!

 

The Grand Slam of Eventing is sponsored by Rolex and is made up of three of the top CCI5*-L competitions in the world. Since its inception back in 2001, only two riders have ever won the title, as it is an incredibly hard feat to accomplish. In order to win, riders can win the three competitions of Badminton, Burghley, and Kentucky in any consecutive order on different horses. Because of the close dates between the Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Badminton Horse Trials just one week later, it’s important that different horses be allowed with the same rider. It would be impossible for an equine athlete to recover from winning one CCI5*-L and travel overseas to the United Kingdom and be ready and able to win the Badminton Horse Trials in under a week.

 

Near Misses

The challenge is not one to be taken lightly, as history has proven time and time again that it’s a hard feat to achieve. Two of the three legs of the Grand Slam have been won by four different riders who came close to claiming the title – but not close enough. In 2006, Andrew Hoy of Australia won the Kentucky Three-Day Event on Master Monarch, went on to win Badminton Horse Trials on Moonfleet, and then just missed the title with a 2nd place finish at the Burghley Horse Trials in the fall on Moonfleet again. In a heartbreaking performance, Moonfleet and Andrew were in first place right until the final phase. Ahhh! So close!

 

Then in May of 2009, Oliver Townend of Great Britain won Badminton on Flint Curtis, Burghley on Carousel Quest and just missed with two entries who finished in the top ten of the Kentucky event. No stranger to winning at the Kentucky Three-Day, Oliver Townend went on in later years with a hat trick, winning the event three years running on Cooley Master Class in 2018 and 2019, and Ballaghmor Class in 2021 (there was no event held in 20202 due to COVID-19 pandemic). Amazing in and of itself, but still no Grand Slam…

 

The hunt continued with William Fox-Pitt nearly claiming the title on Parklane Hawk with wins in both the fall of 2011 at the Burghley Horse Trials, and spring of 2012 at the Kentucky Three-Day Event. However, he just fell short of the Grand Slam. Due to severe weather, the Badminton Horse Trials was cancelled in 2012 and a special meeting was held by equestrian governing bodies and sponsor, Rolex on how to address the challenge as at the time, William was a contender. Due to the extenuating circumstances and the rule being that all three events are to be won consecutively, the rules were clarified to state that should William Fox-Pitt win the 2013 Badminton Horse Trials, he would also win the Grand Slam of Eventing title. Even more interestingly, Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand won the 2012 Burghley Horse Trials and was entered into the Kentucky Three-Day. Had he won the Kentucky event, he and William Fox-Pitt would have for the only time in history, been competing simultaneously for the Grand Slam of Eventing championship. Intense!

 

Well, guess what happened? Andrew Nicholson followed up his 2012 Burghley Horse Trials win on Avebury with a win in Kentucky on Quimbo. That meant both he and William Fox-Pitt were competing at historic levels for the win + Grand Slam title at the 2013 Badminton Horse Trials that May. With a near-win landing Andrew Nicholson in 3rd place on Nereo, and William Fox-Pitt finishing 5th on Parklane Hawk, no new champion was crowned.

 

Historic Winners

That brings us to the two winners of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing title…

 

Pippa Funnel of Great Britain was the sport’s initial winner in 2003 with wins at The Kentucky Three-Day Event on Primmore’s Pride, Badminton Horse Trials on Supreme Rock, and back on mount Primmore’s Pride for the win at Burghley Horse Trials that fall. It was more than 12 years later until the sport crowned another Grand Slam of Eventing winner. This time it was the soft-spoken German rider, Michael Jung who claimed the title. He had won in Kentucky on FischerRocana in 2015, but did not compete a horse a week later at Badminton so wasn’t eligible at that point.

 


In the fall of 2015, Michael Jung rode La Biosthetique-Sam FBW to victory over challenging Burghely, followed by a springtime 2016 win in Kentucky on FischerRocana FST. He then promptly flew back to compete less than a week later on his favorite La Biosthetique-Sam FBW at Badminton in May of 2016 where he wowed equestrians and sports enthusiasts alike with an incredible win to be crowned the Grand Slam Champion of Eventing. Michael also returned to the Kentucky Horse Park to rack up another win on FischerRocana win 2017 to make history winning three straight there for the first time ever, and on the same horse at that! With another win in 2022 on FischerChipmunk FRH, he now holds the record for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event as the first ever four-time winner, setting a world record for five-star finishing score, and logging his 11th five-star win. Wow! Michael was the only eventing rider to ever hold the European Champion, World Champion and Olympic Champion titles at the same time. As well back-to-back Olympic gold.

 

When it comes to eventing, as the only North American leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, we know you won’t want to miss out on your chance to see history being made. Even when someone doesn’t achieve this incredible feat, the competition is always riveting with amazing athletes in both horses and riders. But hurry, advanced ticket pricing ends soon so don’t miss your chance to get a great deal on tickets today! See you in April in Kentucky!

A man is riding a horse with a blanket that says land rover on it
A poster that says winner on it

Sponsors, Shopping, Live Music, Local Brews and World-Class Competition at the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™

March 5, 2026
New Music Programming to Debut on Friday and Saturday in Partnership with  The Hound 96.1; Stage Located in Sponsor Village Near John Deere, the Event’s Official Equipment Provider

Athlete Spotlight: Sydney Solomon

February 25, 2026
Sydney Solomon’s journey to the top levels of eventing is a story of determination, resilience, and belief in steady progress. Raised in Maryland, Sydney did not grow up in a horse family. What began as a once-a-week hobby quickly became twice a week, and before long, the barn became home. Her first horse, a green Thoroughbred x Percheron cross, presented a true learning curve from day one. During her initial time with "Bella", Sydney wasn’t even aware that eventing existed as a sport. She was riding in 4-H and local hunter shows, building her horsemanship from the ground up alongside a horse who was learning, too. Everything shifted after a visit to Fair Hill International, where she saw eventing at the international level for the first time. She returned inspired and certain that this was the path she wanted to pursue. Eager to move forward, Sydney began searching for a horse that could match her growing ambitions in the sport. That journey brought her to True Prospect Farm, owned by Phillip Dutton, where she discovered Lillian Pink, who was for sale at the time through Boyd Martin. After several successful seasons eventing with Lillian Pink, Sydney stepped into a new phase of development, training under the guidance of Lillian Heard and eventually becoming a working student for her. The experience sharpened her skills, strengthened her foundation, and propelled her confidently up the levels. The working student years were demanding and formative. They offered a clear view into what it truly takes to build a career at the highest level of the sport. After the heartbreaking loss of Lillian Pink, Sydney made a defining choice to continue pursuing her dream, leaning into the challenges rather than stepping away from them. With Heard's support, Sydney was connected with a working student position under Phillip Dutton at True Prospect Farm, immersing herself fully in a high-performance program and the daily rhythm of top-level eventing. Soon after, she was offered the ride on Early Review CBF, a Hanoverian mare who would go on to become a defining partner in her upper-level career. Together, Sydney and “Coco” have worked their way up the FEI levels one step at a time, building experience and confidence all the way to CCI5*. In 2023, they made their 5* debut at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, marking a career-defining milestone — one that stirred emotions Sydney rarely allows herself to show and underscored just how far the partnership had come. As “Early Review, accepted” echoed over the speakers during the first horse inspection, Sydney found herself tearing up, caught off guard by the magnitude of the moment. Even walking into the dressage ring, she admitted she felt the weight of it all — the years of work and the grit it takes to get there. They returned to Kentucky in 2024 to contest the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, continuing to build their résumé at the upper levels of the sport and adding another chapter to a partnership forged through resilience and experience. Today, Sydney continues to compete at the highest levels of the sport while dedicating much of her time to teaching and producing horses within her own program. Having trained within some of eventing’s most respected systems, she has drawn on that mentorship to shape a competitive and training business grounded in intention, patience, and strong fundamentals. Her journey — from learning on a green first horse to stepping onto the five-star stage — reflects a career built thoughtfully and earned step by step. With each season, she continues to add depth to her experience at the upper levels, carrying forward the resilience, perspective, and work ethic that have defined her path from the very beginning.
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