A Three-Peat at the Three-Day Event

A THREE-PEAT AT THE

THREE-DAY EVENT Written by Bridget Williams / Photos by Tony Bailey

Michael Jung, 34, made history in late April when he became the first rider in the 39-year history of the Kentucky ThreeDay Event, presented by Land Rover, to win three years in a row. The ultimate test of horse and rider, the Three-Day event is comprised of dressage, cross-country and jumping tests. Aboard FischerRocana FST for a third year, the German duo lowered one rail in show jumping to finish on 42.7 penalties, just ahead of France’s Maxime Livio and Qalao Des Mers in second (44.6) and England’s Zara Tindall and High Kingdom in third (46.6).

“Without the horse, you are just walking people, I’m not sure how you say that in English,” said Jung with a laugh following the win. “This is a very wonderful horse, she is absolutely a top horse, and she is always fighting for me. We have a partnership, I know everything that she needs for me to motivate her. But she was perfect. I am so thankful for my whole team and my horse.”

Livio is the only competitor in recent memory to have bested Jung, and the 29-year-old Frenchman's powerful doubleclean round put the pressure on the eventual champion as he cantered out of the ring in front of 24,159 fans in Rolex Stadium on the final day of competition. “There is always a little pressure in the ring, especially at a four-star with all the top riders,” Livio said. “With my horse, I just have to stick to him and stick to my ride, and if I do that the pressure goes down. I know if I’m very focused on my riding, the horse will do his

best. But, of course there is pressure because I want to be good enough for my horse, and after that it’s good for me to start to put pressure on (Jung). I think to try to beat such a rider you have to be 100 percent all the time. All this week my horse was 100 percent, but I was maybe only 90 percent in dressage. But after that I have no regrets.”

Third-place finisher Tindall, 35, of Gloucestershire, England, came into the 2017 event with expectations in check following a trying trip two years ago when an injury in the stable prevented her from even starting the competition. “I’m obviously very lucky to come back and very thankful to my owner and to Land Rover and Rolex to be able to come back,” she said. “It’s great to be

sitting up here with these guys. My horse was fantastic all the way

through the competition –he jumped great today.

The Kentucky Three-Day Event is the nation’s premier

Three-Day Event and one of the most prestigious equestrian

competitions in the world. The International Equestrian

Federation (FEI), the world’s governing body of equestrian sports,

has designated the Kentucky Three-Day Event as a ‘Four Star’

eventing competition, the highest designation, which is given

only to the Olympic Games, World Championships, and six

annual events around the world. “Rolex Kentucky” is the only