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After four days of thrilling world-class action, Great Britain's Oliver Townend made history becoming the first British rider to successfully defend his title and win the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event back-to-back. Townend's win not only secured a healthy share of the $400,000 prize money, but also the keys to a 12-month lease of a Land Rover Discovery vehicle.
For those that missed out on the action, or to re-live the four-day competition, Land Rover has created a two minute highlights film celebrating another successful Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.  Image-JLRNA_PR Team After four days of thrilling world-class action, Great Britain's Oliver Townend made history becoming the first British rider to successfully defend his title and win the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event back-to-back. Townend's win not only secured a healthy share of the $400,000 prize money, but also the keys to a 12-month lease of a Land Rover Discovery vehicle.
With just one pole separating the top three riders on the final day, the electric atmosphere turned into tension when Tim Price (NZL), lying in third place, produced a stunning clear round to put the pressure on the final two athletes. All eyes were then on home hero, Boyd Martin (USA) and Tsetserleg, with the patriotic crowd eager for an American victory for the first time in 11 years. An eruption of applause echoed through the stadium as Martin cleared the final fence and was just one horse away from victory. Silence fell as Oliver Townend and Cooley Masterclass entered the arena, hungry to defend their 2018 title. With nerves of steel, Townend delivered a faultless round, denying the home victory for Boyd Martin, and making history to become the first ever British equestrian to win back-to-back Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event titles. With tears glistening in his eyes, an emotional Oliver Townend commented, “I am so proud, I can’t say what this means. It’s a huge team effort, it hasn’t been an easy journey but we always believed in him and the horse is pure class - it was just my job to press the buttons at the right time and he delivered again.” “This is one of the biggest events in the world and it’s an eventing childhood dream to win at the highest level. The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is second-to-none, the infrastructure is out of this world and the whole week has been so phenomenal” Oliver Townend, Great Britain Away from the equestrian action, Land Rover North America provided a full program of experiential customer activations for visitors of all ages. The ‘Start Off-Road’ teen-driving experience returned for a second year, with teenage guests ages 14 years or older lining up to drive either a Land Rover Discovery Sport or Range Rover Evoque on a multi-terrain track under the watchful and highly trained eyes of a Land Rover Driving Instructor. Alongside the teen-driving experience in the Sponsorship Village, adult spectators enjoyed test-driving a selection of vehicles including a full-size Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, the midsize Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar on off-road terrain. Not forgetting the younger generation of guests, the popular ‘Junior Drive Experience’ saw children aged four to eight-years-old given the chance to navigate a specially designed course in mini electric cars, scaled down from the original Land Rover Series I vehicle. The Land Rover Ultimate Stable provided the opportunity for ticket holders to not only meet their sporting heroes, but also gain perspective into the factors that make each Land Rover model distinct and unique. The hugely popular ‘Land Rover Tailgate Experience’ was another hotly contested competition, with John Whitty and Beth Geiser (Louisville) crowned the winners. RESULTS SHOW JUMPING FINAL DAY, SUNDAY 28 APRIL OLIVER TOWNEND, COOLEY MASTER CLASS - 25.3 BOYD MARTIN, TSETSERLEG - 27.9 TIM PRICE, XAVIER FAER - 30.9  image-JLRNA_PR Team The sun shone down on the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course, set by Derek di Grazia, with Great Britain’s Oliver Townend showing why he is the defending champion producing a brilliant clear round and just 1.2 time faults, despite losing a shoe half way around the course. Townend remains in the lead on a score of 25.3 heading into tomorrow’s final show jumping phase.
Much to the delight of the home crowd, USA’s Boyd Martin made the course look easy aboard Tsetserleg, just one of only four partnerships to finish inside the optimum time of 11.20, to end the day in second place. The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing live contender, Tim Price (NZL), climbed up to third position with the stunning bay gelding, Xavier Faer, keeping his dressage score of 30.9. The rumours of the technically challenging course proved to be true, with the first three horse and rider combinations unable to complete the course resulting in elimination. USA’s Will Coleman was the first rider to go below the 11.20 time set, with Olympic bronze medallist Phillip Dutton producing a masterclass round with Z finishing two seconds under the time. Townend commented on his ride: “Once I realised the shoe had gone, I was conscious of having to balance more and be more conservative than I usually would be.” “He was certainly a bit keener than he was last year, he felt stronger and was definitely up for it, his ears were pricked all the way. He made his own mind up over a couple of the jumps and at times I felt like he was more in control than I was - he did his job well and is becoming an incredible horse.” Oliver Townend, Great Britain The history books could be re-written if Oliver Townend produces a clear round in tomorrow's show jumping, as he will become the first British equestrian to win back-to-back Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event titles. Just 8.2 penalties separate the top five athletes, which include the World No.1, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, the FEI World Equestrian Games™ team gold medallist and the current Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing live contender, so there will be no room for error in what will be a closely fought competition.  Defending champions, Oliver Townend (GBR) and Cooley Master Class, produced a stunning dressage test to finish top of the leaderboard with 24.1 on the second day of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Townend was clearly pleased with his performance finishing with a beaming smile across his face, whilst he waved to the enthusiastic crowd. Shaving three penalties off the previous leader, FEI World Equestrian GamesTM team gold medallist Piggy French (GBR), the score of 24.1 is a personal best for the partnership and proved why Townend is the current World No.1. “I have had him (Cooley Master Class) since he was a four-year-old, he knows me, and I know him very well. He loved it here last year, he thrived, his ears were pricked every step of the way, so why not bring him back to somewhere he loves.” “The course is a proper 5*, I am a huge fan of Derek di Grazia’s courses, I think he is an exceptional Course Designer and one of the very best in the world, so I always enjoy coming here to see what challenges he sets. This course is huge, one of the toughest in the world, technical and narrow so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens tomorrow” Oliver Townend USA’s Boyd Martin with the striking black gelding, Tsetserleg, finished as the highest placed US athlete with a score of 27.9 placing third. Great Britain’s Piggy French remains just ahead with a score of 27.1 on 12-year-old chestnut gelding, Quarrycrest Echo. Tomorrow’s cross-country course set by Derek di Grazia has been described as ‘challenging’ by those who have walked it and will certainly ask some questions to the world-class horse and rider combinations that will be navigating through it in tomorrow’s competition. With many experienced athletes all vying for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event title this weekend, they will be hoping to not only finish clear, but also inside the optimum time of 11 min 20 sec. The leaderboard remains close with only 8.6 penalties separating the top 10, so there will be no room for mistakes from those currently in the prime positions. RESULTS DRESSAGE DAY TWO, FRIDAY 26 APRIL OLIVER TOWNEND, COOLEY MASTER CLASS - 24.1 PIGGY FRENCH, QUARRYCREST ECHO - 27.4 BOYD MARTIN, TSETSERLEG - 27.9  In his third year as Badminton course designer, Eric Winter has kept his philosophy of making his track look as naturally cross country as possible. There is next to no artifice, seen at many other events, in a flowing journey around Badminton Park.
As usual the ASX Starter flower bed (1) is in the main arena, then riders hang right this year down to the Keepers Question (2) a table over the ditch. Crossing the road they rise to the Little Badminton Gate (3) reached up quite a steep incline and head for Savills Staircase (4 abc 5), a big log parallel, down the two stone steps and a tight left turn to another log parallel away. A bit of an uphill canter and a right turn to the Worcester Avenue Table (6) then back on track to Joules Corners (7/8) of boxed hedges. Next comes the Countryside Log Piles (9ab), a choice of one large one or a double of smaller ones. A bit of a breather till things start to get serious. The Shogun Sport Hollow (10 ab) has a funnelling pagoda to lead riders to a narrow ‘coffin’ ditch, which actually is coffin shaped, and a left or right choice of chunky, narrow tree trunks out. Now we enter an area of intense action. The KBIS Bridge (11, 12) is a massive parallel over the famous Vicarage Ditch. The double numbering allows for a two jump escape route. The next obstacle has been at Badminton in some form since 1949, the Outlander PHEV Bank (13 ab). Fast route is head on to the top, down, over a narrow brushed roll top. Next up is a photographic favourite, the Rolex Grand Slam Trakehner (14), a massive log slung over a gaping chasm, then up one of the few real inclines in Badminton Park to the Hildon Water Pond (15 ab), perhaps slightly easier this year, with a roll top in and a log in the water. A quick let up with James’s Brush (16) and back along the Vicarage Ditch to the Mirage Water (17 abc 18). Despite several options, the direct route involves a corner on the left of a timber box, a right curve over open water and right to another corner on the left of a final box. Heading back to the deer park the next is the Nyetimber Heights (19 ab). Up a steep slope to an airy brush on the top of the mound, down into the dip and up for a choice of four narrow scrubbing brush skinnies. The Feedmark Haywain (20) has featured all over Badminton Park in recent years and takes riders to this year’s charity fence the YoungMinds Brushes (21,22,23), three asymmetric corners in a row. There is always a considerable crowd round all the fences on the course, but now comes the cauldron of the lake area. First is the World Horse Welfare Lakeside (24). The actual jump is basically a large parallel, but the design, with a pump station, extends over the lake and creates an attractive waterfall. Then it is along the lake to The Lake with L200s (25 abcd). Eric has pulled the brushed up entry log back, so there is now a grass landing before entering the Lake, then a step up and this time the L200 will have a trailer which hosts the jump, a dome shaped Aintree type fence. Keeping the massive lakeside crowd entertained, the course doubles back to the Wadworth Lower Lake (26) a triple bar approached through the water. The Trade Stands Hedge (27) is a friendly let up before the Voltaire Huntsmans Close (28 ab) which involves a birch parallel to a birch spread corner on a right turn. To avoid a flat out gallop Eric has the Eclipse Cross Chicane (29 ab), two open ditch brushes on a U bend out and in of the deer park before the HorseQuest Quarry (30 ab) looms. This is less complicated than in recent years. In over the stone wall to a drop then up and out over a second wall. Nearly home but the Hayracks (31 ab) is a roll top spread to a roll top skinny, then the Rolex Trunk (32) a sculpted log. Back into the arena is the Mitsubishi Final Mount (33), the public competition winning pair of sculpted wooden saddles. As ever a good completion will be an exhilarating experience for both the old pros and especially for those whose first experience of Badminton this will be. Further Information: Julian Seaman, Badminton Media Director + 44 (0) 7831 515736 | [email protected] |
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