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British Domination Continues as Pippa Funnell Maintains the Lead at
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented By Bayer, April 24–27

Lexington, KY—April 26, 2003—There was no change at the top of the standings as Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell held onto her lead at the 2003 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer, held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.

By posting one of 16 clear cross-country rounds over the test set by Michael Etherington-Smith, Funnell, 33, added no penalty points to her dressage score of 38.6 following the second phase of the three-day event.

“Since my watched stopped while I was out on course, it was a fluke, really, that I made the time,” laughed Funnell, a two-time European Champion. “The whole lay-out of the Park really allows the competitors to go out and have good run, the course just keeps flowing.”

Funnell and Primmore’s Pride, a 10-year-old English thoroughbred gelding owned by Roger and Denise Lincoln, will led the remaining 45 of the 55-horse starting field into Sunday’s final phase of stadium jumping.

Countryman William Fox-Pitt remains hot on her heels, having also posted a clear round to keep his score at 42.6 with Moon Man.

“My horse was fantastic, he is a very easy horse to ride,” commented Fox-Pitt, 34, who has been riding the Irish-bred Moon Man since the horse was five.

Having finished fourth last year at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Fox-Pitt will be looking to improve his placing tomorrow during the final phase of stadium jumping.

A change in the standings did occur when Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA, who had been in third position, added 52 penalties to her dressage score with My Beau to drop out of contention. British competitor Polly Stockton, who had been lying fourth, moved up into the top three with a two-day total of 43.4 penalty points after turning in a clear round with Tangleman.

Legendary American rider Bruce Davidson became the top American in the standings when a clear round with Little Tricky moved him from seventh into fourth position.

“In all the years that I have competed at this event, the conditions certainly were the best they have ever been,” remarked Davidson, who won his second consecutive World Championship title in 1978 at the inaugural Rolex Kentucky Thee-Day Event. “The weather was perfect and the ground was the nicest it has ever been.”

Enjoying a beautiful day at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event were 24,500 spectators, who took in the cross-country action as well as more than 125 merchants, the Priefert Six-Horse Percheron Hitch, the USPC Prince Philip Cup and a variety of other fun family activities and entertaining attractions.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer, concludes on Sunday with the third and final phase of stadium jumping. Horses will be inspected at 8:30 a.m. to ensure that they are fit to continue the final leg of the three-phase test with show jumping action beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The CCI**** Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the only three-day event in America to be held at the Olympic level, serves as the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Four-Star Championship. The race for the Championship title will be tight as five American riders - Bruce Davidson, Robert Costello, Peter Green, Will Faudree and Karen O’Connor - are within four points, or one show jumping rail, of each other.

Current results and other interactive features are available on the official Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event web site, www.rk3de.org. For ticket sales or additional information, please contact Equestrian Events, Inc. at (859) 254-8123, or by faxing (859) 254-5116.

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