The Grand Slam of Eventing has been shelved for 2025 after Rolex ended its long-standing sponsorship.

H&H reported in September that the luxury watchmaker, which sponsored the highest prize in eventing for more than 20 years, would no longer be backing the series.

The Grand Slam of Eventing was a six-figure award, presented to a rider who scored consecutive wins at Defender Kentucky, Mars Badminton and Defender Burghley.

The series started in 1999 and has only ever been won by two riders – Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung.

The organisers of the three events had sought a new title partner. But an announcement last night (Monday, 3 March) said that the series “will not be contested in 2025”.

Badminton final scores

“The organisers of the Grand Slam of Eventing are currently exploring alternative formats for the series. While discussions with potential sponsors are ongoing, a new sponsor for the series has not been identified at this time,” said the statement.

Pippa was the first rider to land the prize, winning $250,000 and a watch in 2003, following victories at Kentucky on Primmore’s Pride, Badminton on Supreme Rock, and Burghley aboard Primmore’s Pride.

The prize pot was increased by $100,000 to $350,000 in 2008.

Germany’s Michael Jung became the second rider to win the award – partnering La Biosthetique-Sam FBW to Burghley glory in 2015, followed by 2016 Kentucky victory aboard FischerRocana FST, and winning Badminton with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.

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Rolex has ended its long-running sponsorship of the Grand Slam of Eventing after more than 20 years.

The six-figure eventing grand slam prize is awarded to a rider who has won Mars Badminton, Defender Burghley and the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event consecutively – in no particular order and not necessarily in the same year.

The series, which started in 1999, has only ever been won by two riders.

Britain’s Pippa Funnell landed the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing prize of $250,000 and a watch in 2003, winning Kentucky on Primmore’s Pride, Badminton on Supreme Rock, and Burghley with Primmore’s Pride.

In 2008, the prize pot was increased by $100,000 to $350,000. Germany’s Michael Jung became the second rider to win the award – partnering La Biosthetique-Sam FBW to Burghley victory in 2015, followed by 2016 Kentucky glory aboard FischerRocana FST, and scoring the Badminton crown with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.

Badminton final scores

A statement, issued by organisers today (19 September), said that “for the first time in 23 years, the title sponsorship of this iconic series has become available”.

“The organisers would like to thank Rolex for their decades long support of this important series,” it added.

“The organisers of the Grand Slam events are seeking a new title partner and encourage interested parties to contact James Wolf, Wolf Sports Group, jwolf@wolfsportsgroup.com”

H&H has contacted Rolex for comment.

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Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing: the $350,000 prize Oliver Townend could win at Badminton

Your essential guide to the most valuable prize in the sport, the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing

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Oliver Townend’s win at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event last week on Cooley Rosalent, following his victory at Defender Burghley Horse Trials last autumn on Ballaghmor Class, means that he goes into the Mars Badminton Horse Trials (8-12 May) with two legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing completed. If he can take the Badminton title, he will become the third event rider to complete the Rolex Grand Slam.

Need a refresher on what the Rolex Grand Slam bonus is and who has won it in the past? Read on…

What is the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing?

The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing is a cash prize, given by watch-makers Rolex, to any event rider who can consecutively win the three biggest four-stars events in the sport — Badminton and Burghley in Britain and Kentucky in the USA. The events can be won in any order. Badminton and Kentucky take place in the spring each year, with Kentucky usually the week before Badminton (two weeks in 2024), and Burghley in September.

A rider can use the same or different horses for each event, but in reality a minimum of two horses are needed to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing because the same horse would not run at Kentucky and Badminton as they are too close together.

How much is the prize money for the Rolex Grand Slam?

$350,000 (around £255,000). The prize was initially $250,000 when the Rolex Grand Slam was conceived in 1999, but was increased to $350,000 in February 2008.

Who are the Rolex Grand Slam winners?

There have only been two Rolex Grand Slam winners.

Britain’s Pippa Funnell completed the challenge in 2003 — she won Kentucky 2003 on Primmore’s Pride, Badminton on Supreme Rock and Burghley on Primmore’s Pride.

Germany’s Michael Jung won the Rolex Grand Slam in 2015/2016 — he started by winning Burghley 2015 on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, then in the spring of 2016 won Kentucky on FischerRocana FST and Badminton on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.

Have any other riders come close to winning it?

Yes. Four other riders have won two legs of the Rolex Grand Slam, but fallen at the final hurdle – and one of them, Oliver himself, has been in that position twice before this 2024 attempt.

In 2006 Australia’s Andrew Hoy took Kentucky on Master Monarch and Badminton on Moonfleet. He led until the showjumping at Burghley, but 12 faults in the final phase meant he and Moonfleet ended up second behind Lucinda Fredericks on Headley Britainnia.

In 2009, Britain’s Oliver Townend won Badminton on Flint Curtis and Burghley on Carousel Quest. He went to Kentucky with Ashdale Cruise Master and ODT Master Rose — with some drama, due to a volcanic ash cloud disrupting his travel plans — but was airlifted to hospital after a fall with Ashdale Cruise Master.

In 2011, Britain’s William Fox-Pitt won Burghley on Parklane Hawk and he then won Kentucky 2012 on the same horse. However, Badminton that year was cancelled, so his attempt to complete the Rolex Grand Slam was deferred to 2013. Meanwhile, Andrew Nicholson won Burghley 2012 on Avebury and Kentucky 2013 on Quimbo, setting up a situation where both he and William were “live” in the Rolex Grand Slam and aiming to complete it at Badminton, a situation lent extra frisson by the history of rivalry between the two men. In the event, neither of them were able to achieve the final victory, with William finishing fifth on Parklane Hawk and Andrew third on Nereo.

Oliver Townend had a second crack at the Rolex Grand Slam in 2018, after he won Burghley 2017 on Ballaghmor Class and Kentucky 2018 on Cooley Master Class. He came close, but not quite close enough to take the big prize with second on Cooley SRS and fifth on Ballaghmor Class, with Jonelle Price winning the event on Classic Moet.

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If it hadn’t been for the coronavirus outbreak, we would be gearing up for Badminton Horse Trials, which was due to take place this week (6—10 May). So instead we’re taking a few trips down memory lane. Here is the final day report from the 2016 event when Michael Jung became the first German rider to win the prestigious five-star, while also walking away with the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing prize too...

Michael Jung turned from a master of eventing into a sporting legend in his own lifetime when he won the 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials by a massive nine-penalty margin.

He also claimed the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, with its impressive trophy and prize of $350,000 (£240,000) for winning Kentucky, Burghley and Badminton in succession. This achievement has only ever been managed once before, by Pippa Funnell in 2003.

And just when you think there is nothing else that this formidable partnership of Michael and Le Biosthetique-Sam FBW can achieve, you realise that their score of 34.4pen is the lowest ever winning score at Badminton.

Michael had two rails in hand when he rode into the arena, but he didn’t need them, riding a stylish clear round that was simply beautiful to watch. When he landed over the upright at fence 11, everyone knew that the title was his.

Badminton final scores

Michael said: “This is a very special moment for me. Sam is in super form at the moment – we joke about Tokyo 2020 for him. Although he’s 16 we’re only looking forwards. He’s such a special horse to ride, he loves the cross-country and he loves to jump and I’m really looking forward to the future.

“It’s not easy when you have to wait the whole day, but once you’re working with the horse, then each jump in the warm up makes you feel happy and relaxed. This is a win for the whole team, who allow me to do this sport and ride so many good horses.”

In a great day for the Germans, they not only collected their first Badminton title, but Michael’s compatriot Andreas Ostholt finished second with So Is Et. Their round was all the more impressive as the gelding was wearing only three shoes after twice pulling one off in the warm-up.

Andreas said: “Badminton hasn’t always been lucky for me, so I feel really happy – it’s like a win to be second here. I hope that I’ve played a card which means they [the German selectors] will select me for Rio maybe.”

Gemma Tattersall rode one of the most impressive of the 18 clear rounds in the showjumping phase on Arctic Soul. This horse can be affected by the atmosphere in the final phase and Gemma rode into the arena with her finger to her lips in an effort to quell the excited crowd. Arctic Soul kept his composure to leave all the fences up and finish on his dressage score of 44.6pen for third place.

Gemma said: “Arctic Soul has been in the form of his life [in the run up to Badminton]. He did a personal best in the dressage and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He doesn’t like loud noises and the sound of clapping makes him nervous, and when he’s nervous that’s when he makes mistakes. But he kept his attention on me today and he jumped the best round of his life.”

Kiwis took the next three places with Mark Todd (Leonidas II) and Clarke Johnstone (Balmoral Sensation) both achieving clear rounds. Jock Paget had one down on Clifton Lush to drop one place to sixth.

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Tina Cook leapt up the leaderboard with Star Witness from 42nd after dressage to eventual seventh place, while Izzy Taylor lowered just one fence with Allercombe Ellie for eighth. Ireland’s Camilla Speirs and the diminutive Portersize Just A Jiff finished ninth with a clear showjumping round while New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and Classic Moet rounded up to top 10.

The time proved unusually generous in the final phase with only one rider, Sarah Ennis riding BLM Diamond Delux, collecting a single time-penalty. Fence three, a 1.28m oxer, and the treble combination at fence 10 were most influential, causing 10 and 12 riders to fault respectively.

View the final leaderboard

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Oliver Townend will defend his title at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (25-28 April), riding the horse on whom he won last year, Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class.

One other British rider will join the world number one in crossing the Atlantic for the US five-star (previously four-star) — Piggy French, with her World Equestrian Games team gold medallist Quarrycrest Echo, owned by Jayne McGivern.

While Oliver is a frequent visitor to Kentucky, this will be Piggy’s first trip to the horse park since she rode as an individual at the 2010 WEG on Jakata, finishing 16th. She has never competed in the regular event here.

The third British entry comes from US-based rider Leslie Law. The 2004 Olympic champion has not competed at the top level since 2010. Last year, he rode on the Nations Cup at The Plains, Virginia — his first British team appearance since the 2005 European Championships — and he will pilot the same horse at Kentucky, Tre’ Book’s Voltaire De Tre’.

The 10-year-old horse makes his debut at five-star after strong results at four-star (previously three-star), including a recent 10th at Red Hills CCI4*-S (previously CIC3*).

The European entry is rounded out by US-based Swiss rider Felix Vogg, with Colero.

New Zealand’s Tim Price will make the trip to Kentucky, an event where he has been successful in the past with second place in 2015 on Wesko. His ride this time will be Xavier Faer, who was third at Badminton 2017 and belongs to Trisha Rickards, Nigella Hall and Tim.

Tim is the live contender in the Rolex Grand Slam, the big-money bonus on offer to any rider who can win the five-stars at Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky consecutively. Tim won Burghley last autumn on Ringwood Sky Boy.

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The bulk of the entry list for Kentucky is made up of US riders. Buck Davidson has four horses in the mix, while Lauren Kieffer, Boyd Martin and Caroline Martin each have three. Riders can start on up to three horses at Kentucky.

Former Kentucky winner Phillip Dutton just has one horse entered, Z, having slimmed his string down since his stepdaughter Lee Lee suffered a serious brain injury in a fall at home in December 2016.

The other past victor entered is Australia’s Clayton Fredericks, who is based in Florida. He won Kentucky in 2007 on Ben Along Time and this time will line up on FE Ophelia, in his first ride at five-star since 2012.

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New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and her speed-merchant mare Classic Moet have taken the lead at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials on a zero margin.

Jonelle and the 15-year-old flew around Eric Winter’s cross-country course to finish one second outside the optimum time and add 0.4 of a penalty to their dressage of 27.6.

Rolex Grand Slam contender Oliver Townend and his 2017 Burghley winner Ballaghmor Class are on the exact same score as Jonelle (28 penalties), but their slightly slower cross-country round means they drop into second place.

Jonelle and Classic Moet had been lying 22nd overnight, but with the dead ground and hot weather affecting many of the horses, the time proved highly influential.

She had by far the fastest round of the day — the second quickest came from Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul, who finished 10 seconds over the time to raise them from 35th to eighth place ahead of the showjumping.

Badminton final scores

“She was magic,” said Jonelle.

“To come here off one run [at Belton advanced] this spring and with the fact we barely ran last year [because Jonelle had a son, Otis], I felt a bit of pressure with all the talk of the time this morning and high expectations that we could be one of the ones to come close, but she was fantastic.

“I would have obviously liked to have been one second less, the scoreboard looks much tidier if it doesn’t have a decimal point on it.

“I had a mistake at The Lake, which was completely my mistake, and I had to ask a lot of her from then on and she responded amazingly.”

Oliver, who is also lying in fifth overnight aboard Cooley SRS, said the ground was “horrifically tacky” by the time it came for his round on Ballaghmor Class.

“I couldn’t find any fresh ground anywhere and the sun was still shining, there wasn’t much air, which makes it very difficult, “ he said.

First-day dressage leaders Ros Canter and Allstar B are in third, adding 6.4 time-faults to their score of 23.9.

“It was really tough, I had the most amazing ride across country here last year when a lot of people found it really hard and it was like a dream ride,” said Ros.

“We had to work for it this year, but he just gave and gave.”

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There is just one pole between first and fourth place and two rails separating the top nine, so there is little room for error among the leaders.

According to equestrian data company EquiRatings, 44 out of the 76 starters jumped clear, 12 completed with jumping faults and competitors were coming home with an average of 20.5 time-faults.

Sadly Alexander Bragg’s second ride, Redpath Ransom, had to be put down after sustaining an irreparable ligament injury to his right foreleg while galloping between fences.

French rider Denis Mesples’ horse, Oregon De La Vigne, reared and fell over at the start — he was taken away in a horse ambulance and is back in the stables under observation.

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Our bumper 24-page Badminton report will be in our 10 May issue, including opinion from Oliver Townend, Mark Phillips and Peter Storr.

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Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW have taken the lead at the half-way mark on cross-country day of the 2018 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

The 2016 Badminton title holder and former Rolex Grand Slam winner added six time penalties to his dressage score of 24.1 to go into tomorrow’s showjumping phase on 30.1 penalties.

The pair survived a tricky moment at the corner at fence 14 (the Outlander PHEV Mound) taking out the white flag in an otherwise strong round.

“When you gallop into the finish and when you ask the horse to go forward and you feel them do it, that’s really nice,” said Michael.

“He was really strong and in a good condition — it was a really great feeling.

Badminton final scores

“It was maybe not the nicest round, it was a nice course but the ground made it much more difficult.

“My plan was to be clear inside the time, but I’m very happy with [how it went].

“I feel like Sam loves what he does and he loved the cross-country, to gallop forward is a nice thing for him and that makes me happy.”

Currently lying in second is Oliver Townend on his first ride, Cooley SRS.

“I was forced to go long at the lake because he never had his eye on it, but other than that, it was a good round,” said Oliver.

“He is a first time four-star horse and to come to Badminton is a big ask, and he was clear and relatively quick.”

Meanwhile US rider Lauren Kieffer and Veronica have risen from 10th after the dressage to a provisional third, after adding nine time faults to their dressage of 25.

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The time has proved elusive for the first 44 starters.

According to equestrian data company EquiRatings, the average number of cross-country time faults at Badminton since 2008 is 15.1.

This was also the same number of time penalties separating the top 54 combinations after the dressage.

Problems have been spread throughout the course, with The Lake and Huntsmans’ Close the most influential so far.

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Rolex Grand Slam contender Oliver Townend is the lunchtime leader on the first day of dressage at the 2018 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

Oliver and the first of his two rides, European team gold medal-winner Cooley SRS, were ninth to go this morning, scoring 25.9.

Oliver, whose win at Kentucky last week puts him in contention for the grand slam title, is 1.5 penalties ahead of second-placed Gemma Tattersall on Pamero 4 on 27.4.

“The horse is at his first four-star, so it is nice to get through and feel that they have given their best,” Oliver told H&H.

“The horse made one mistake and I made another, but I’m happy with the mark and his overall performance.”

Badminton final scores

He added there is “no doubt about it” that Badminton is going to be “heavy going and a stamina test”.

“There’s plenty out there on the course, it is definitely Badminton — there’s a few twists and turns and it is definitely going to be hard work.

“You are going to see a lot of action one way or the other, it is a serious course.”

Meanwhile Gemma was delighted with Pamero 4’s performance.

This is a relatively new ride for Gemma, as the horse was campaigned by Laura Collett until March 2017.

“I’m delighted with the score, we made some pretty big mistakes, but also did some seriously lovely work,” she said.

“Pamero and I are still getting to know each other, so before today you could count on one hand the number of times I have been in an international arena with him.”

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In third is four-time Badminton winner Sir Mark Todd, with his Rio Olympic ride Leonidas II.

“I’m very happy with his test, he just got a little bit tight in the walk, which messed up our halt and rein-back, but I think he scored pretty consistently all the way through,” said Mark.

“It is always hard when you go this early in the morning as the judges are never too excited about what they see, but from what I can gather, it was judged pretty fairly.”

Still to go this afternoon are former winning riders (and the only two eventing Rolex Grand Slam winners) Michael Jung on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW and Pippa Funnell, riding Billy Beware.

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By Nancy Jaffer

A weekend of brilliant riding on the ever-improving Cooley Master Class won Oliver Townend not only the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, but also a shot at the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing as he heads to this week’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

The tension was high among the 21,260 fans as Kentucky’s dramatic showdown unfolded. Standing third going into showjumping at the Kentucky Horse Park, Oliver produced a clear round to remain on his dressage score of 28.7 penalties, but then had to wait before he learned his fate.

Australia’s Christopher Burton, who had been second on Nobilis 18 with 27.9, dropped two rails to plummet to ninth place. Then all that stood between Oliver and victory was the man people call the greatest eventer ever, multi-gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany and his super mare, FischerRocana FST.

Michael, who went into the jumping with a total of 27.5 penalties, had no room for error, which came at fence five. The mare knocked a pole and before it hit the ground, Oliver had won the title he sought.

Badminton final scores

“I’ve had a rough couple of years one way and another and it’s a hard grind at home, but this is an absolute long-term dream of mine,” said an emotional Oliver. “I just want to thank every single person here for sharing that dream day with me.”

He took on Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class at the age of four, and knows the 13-year-old gelding well.

“I had an awful lot of faith in him. It’s his first time at this level. He really dug deep for me. He felt to enjoy it. He had a smile on his face…and that’s really important to me,” said Oliver.

Coming to Kentucky “took a bit of arm-twisting to get the horses here because there was no funding from Great Britain,” Oliver noted. He thanked his owners, Angela and Tom Joule who owns seventh-placed MHS King Joules, for taking a gamble on his chances.

As the winner of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in September, he was determined to try for the Grand Slam. With two legs of the challenge won, if he takes the top prize at Badminton, he will collect $350,000 to become only the third person to earn the Grand Slam title. The others who have won it are Pippa Funnell and of course, Michael.

Michael, who has been the world number one, appears to have been overtaken by Oliver for that ranking. When someone advised him of that, the Kentucky winner said with a smile, “about time.”

Today’s result was a big letdown for Michael, who had hoped to win a record fourth Kentucky. But it really wasn’t his day. At the final horse inspection, his mare was put in the hold box, and Michael’s normally impassive face reflected the tension he felt until FischerRocana was accepted after being re-presented.

As for the downed rail, Michael took the blame.

“It was absolutely my mistake,” he said.

“I was too far away from this fence, but my mare tried hard and it was still a good round. It was a very nice week again here in Kentucky. I really like this event. It was really beautiful.”

The top American was Marilyn Little, who jumped a clean round to finish third on RF Scandalous with 32.8 penalties.

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Full report from Kentucky in H&H next week (issue dated 3 May).

Pick up the current issue of H&H (dated 26 April) for our Badminton preview, including course walk with Mary King and form guide for every horse and rider.

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Michael Jung has withdrawn one of his top horses from Rolex Kentucky CCI4*.

FischerTakinou (pictured), with whom he won individual and team gold at the 2015 European Championships, will not travel to the US due to injury.

“Unfortunately, FischerTakinou will not be able to travel to Kentucky,” the German rider said yesterday (11 April).

“On Saturday, he ran smoothly and easily in Kreuth and I was looking forward to a start in Kentucky.

“Yesterday in a routine check, a small injury was found on Taki. So that this does not get any worse, we will not fly him to the Classic.

“I hope he will be back to health soon.”

Kreuth CIC2* (6 April) was FischerTakinou’s final preparation run ahead of Kentucky. After scoring a 33.6 dressage, Michael opted not to run him across country.

The 10-year-old gelding, by Jaguar Mail, has never had a cross-country jumping penalty at international level. His record includes victories at Aachen CIC3* Nations Cup, Strzegom CCI3* and second place at Pau CCI4*.

Article continues below…

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However Michael still has last year’s winner FischerRocana FST on the entries list for the US four-star (27-30 April).

Should the combination take the title again, this would put them in contention for a second Rolex Eventing Grand Slam title.

He is also entered for Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (4-7 May) with his seasoned campaigner LaBiosthetique Sam FBW.

Together the combination have won four Olympic gold medals across two Games — London 2012 and Rio 2016 — two individual and two team.

They also have European and World gold medals in their trophy cabinet, along with wins at Badminton 2016, Burghley 2015 and Luhmühlen 2009. Other major results include second place at Badminton 2013 and third at both Kentucky and Luhmühlen in 2015.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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Michael Jung once again demonstrated his dominance by setting the standard during the first day of dressage at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. He scored 34.4pen with Le Biosthetique-Sam FBW to lead the field by 3.8pen overnight.

The German partnership produced a typically polished and consistent performance to earn the highest possible marks from the judges, despite the horse not being the biggest natural mover nor having quite his normal preparation.

Michael explained: “We had a lot of snow the past week at home, so Sam was lacking work before he travelled here. He likes to gallop or do some cross-country training, then he’s more relaxed when he’s travelling.

“He arrived full of energy and I had planned to gallop him on Tuesday, but the ground was soft so I was worried he might lose a shoe or something. But he felt very good this morning and gave me a wonderful feeling in the test.”

Michael was also keen to thank his backup team, who had kept everything ticking over while he was ‘on holiday’ in Kentucky. “Having just one horse to ride is like a holiday for me,” he explained.

Badminton final scores

Former Badminton winner Andrew Hoy, who was providing expert commentary through H&H Live, said: “Michael just doesn’t give any marks away. He has total harmony with his horse and maintains the balance and rhythm to allow Sam to produce his best possible performance. We saw better movers than Sam today, but no-one was more consistently correct in the way of going.

“All of the top three riders had harmony and rode accurately while allowing their horse to breathe and use their paces to the maximum of their ability.”

Continued below…

Related articles:

H&H Live: Badminton Horse Trials 2016

Oliver Townend speaks out: ‘I’ve been first to go at Badminton too often, it’s beyond a joke’

Alice Dunsdon’s Badminton blog: I had a huge trot-up day spot, so I rang my vet…

Michael’s compatriot Andreas Ostholt sits in second overnight on 38.2pen with So Is Et. Looking incredibly stylish in his German uniform, he impressed the judges with a test in which the fluidly and consistency shone through.

Andreas said: “My expectations were not that good. Our dressage was only scoring around middle 40s last year, so it’s great to be back to where we were three years ago now.”

In third overnight is a delighted Francis Whittington with a score of 40pen on 12-year-old Hasty Imp, who is by Master Imp and owned by Margaret Smith. Their test was a masterclass of how to ride a horse to produce the best possible work for the horse’s current stage of training without asking for too much and unbalancing the horse as a result.

A very relaxed Francis explained: “I came to Badminton with no expectations. Hasty Imp has to work hard at this level so it was a case of getting him warmed up and relaxed so he could try to do the best he could do and thankfully he did.”

While there is another day of dressage to come, Michael has put himself in the best possible position to strengthen his claim on the Rolex Grand Slam after winning Rolex Kentucky last week and Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials last year.

Make sure you buy H&H magazine next week (12 May issue) for our full 24-page report including columns from Carl Hester, William Fox-Pitt and Mark Phillips.

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Last week, Germany’s Michael Jung triumphed in the American CCI4*, Rolex Kentucky, setting himself up to win the Rolex Grand Slam — the $350,000 (£240,000) bonus on offer to any eventer who can win the world’s three premier four-stars consecutively — if he can also take Badminton next week.

Michael had a winning margin of 13.3 penalties over the rest of the field, meaning he could have had three more showjumps down and still won the competition.

Watch these videos to find out why Michael is so dominant…

Dressage

Michael and FischerRocana FST, an 11-year-old mare owned by his parents Brigitte and Joachim Jung, set the standard from the very first phase. Drawn to perform on the first day of dressage, their relaxed, soft test was rewarded with 34.4 penalties from the ground jury of Germany’s Ernst Topp (president), Britain’s Sandy Phillips and New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie.

Only one other pair, the home side’s Allison Springer and Arthur, managed to score less than 40 penalties. Her 39.7 meant that the German pair were already 5.3 penalties ahead of their nearest challengers.

Cross-country

Persistent rain increased the level of difficulty on Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course and meant the 11 minute 15 second optimum time became impossible, even for Michael. But he and “Roxie” came the closest to beating the clocking, finishing just two seconds over to add 0.8 of a penalty to their score. The next fastest competitors were seven seconds outside the target.

Allison Springer had a run-out and Michael increased his lead to 12.3 penalties, with the USA’s Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive holding second at this point.

Showjumping

Richard Jeffery’s final phase course proved a tough challenge for the horses, tired by the wet ground on the previous day’s cross-country. Only seven managed jumping clears and three of these had time-faults.

Michael couldn’t quite pull off a perfect end to his competition, with one rail falling in the double. But such was his supremacy that he had held 17.3 penalties in hand entering the ring, so it really didn’t matter.

Lauren Kieffer’s single time-fault elevated her from sixth overnight to second with Veronica, while her compatriot Phillip dropped to 13th with a cricket score on Fernhill Fugitive. He did have two top-10 finishes as he took fourth on Mighty Nice and fifth on Fernhill Cubalawn.

We look forward to seeing what Michael can do this week at Badminton with his reigning Olympic champion, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.

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By Nancy Jaffer

Shortly after completing his victory gallop on FischerRocana FST at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* yesterday, Germany’s Michael Jung was on his way to Great Britain for the final leg of the Rolex Grand Slam at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

Michael’s second consecutive Kentucky win, which follows his first-place performance at Burghley last year on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, puts him just one title away from taking the $350,000 (£240,000) Rolex Grand Slam, the bonus awarded to any rider who can win the world’s three premier four-stars consecutively.

The trophy has been won only once, by Pippa Funnell in 2003, but Michael’s impressive three-phase sweep at Kentucky could portend that it’s time for the prize to be awarded again.

Asked how he will prepare Sam for Burghley in the next few days, Michael replied, “I will work with him and ride with him like a normal competition. It is a very big competition, it is tough, and it’s a very important competition, but you need a normal ride, you have to give the horse a normal feeling for the dressage, like just a practice dressage when you ride at home. Then your horse is really relaxed and is concentrating on you. I think if you give him too much pressure… then come the mistakes.”

Richard Jeffery designed a demanding course for the showjumping phase in the Rolex Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. No rider in the top 18 managed to go double-clear, including Michael. He dropped a rail in the double combination, but otherwise was fault-free to finish on 39.2 penalties, raising his right hand in triumph as he sped around the ring before the official presentation.

Michael was a mile ahead of second-place finisher Lauren Kieffer of the US on Veronica, who had no jumping penalties but a single time-fault added to her total of 52.5 penalties. Maya Black, like Lauren a 28-year-old on the rise, dropped a single rail for a total of 53.9 penalties. Kentucky was an Olympic selection trial for the US, and both young women now have a better shot at making the team for Rio.

Related articles:

• Pippa Funnell wins the Rolex Grand Slam
• Michael Jung widens Rolex Kentucky lead with fast cross-country
• Rolex Grand Slam prize money increased to $350,000

Veteran Phillip Dutton, the last American to win Rolex when he did it in 2008 on Connaught, was standing second aboard Fernhill Fugitive before showjumping. But five knockdowns and a time-penalty plummeted Fugitive to 13th. Phillip did finish fourth and fifth on Mighty Nice and Fernhill Cubalawn, however.

California-based British rider James Alliston wound up 27th with four rails down and two time-penalties on Parker. Panda Christie, the only rider to ship over from Britain for the competition, finished 53rd of 54 who completed the event. Her ride Little Leo dropped two rails and had five time-penalties.

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By Nancy Jaffer

German eventing superstar Michael Jung simply widened his lead at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* yesterday as he and FischerRocana FST handled both a difficult cross-country course set by Derek di Grazia and awful weather that hit the Kentucky Horse Park.

Rain that let up for only a few brief moments drenched the ground, which deteriorated as the day went on. Michael was lucky to start 90 minutes into the competition, before the footing really presented a problem. Even so, he was two seconds off the optimum time of 11 minutes, 15 seconds, which none of the 56 who completed the route could attain.

The course had undergone a major re-do from Derek, who will be designing the 2020 Olympic and 2018 World Equestrian Games courses, and was quite technical and tiring toward the end, an effect that was multiplied by the change in the ground.

Praising his mount, Michael said, “I am absolutely very happy about my mare… she was absolutely fighting and really concentrating and always trusts me. That gives you as a rider a very, very good feeling. She was galloping in the end — when I push her a little bit, she galloped as hard as she can and she tried all the best.”

Meanwhile, his chief rivals after dressage went by the wayside as the leaderboard was almost completely jumbled. Although only two people in the top 40 logged jumping penalties, both for activating frangible pins, time-penalties were legion.

Allison Springer, second after dressage with Arthur, went last on cross-country, where her horse ducked out near the end of the course to drop her to 44th place. Pan American Games double gold medalist Marilyn Little, who had been third, fell from her Rio Olympic prospect RF Demeter and was eliminated.

Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp, who spends part of the year in Britain, declined to run Fernhill By Night because he had stitches for a minor injury prior to coming to Rolex. She had been fourth in dressage.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Tim Price, second last year on Wesko, was tied for 20th with Bango until he had a fall at the penultimate fence and was eliminated.

Going into today’s stadium jumping, Michael has 35.2 penalties, with 0.8 added to his dressage score. This translates to three rails in hand over second-place Phillip Dutton, the last American to win Rolex, having taken the trophy in 2008 with Connaught. Phillip is not only second on Fernhill Fugitive (47.5), he also stands third with Mighty Nice (49.9).

Sir Mark Todd, who had been tied for sixth with NZB Campino, rode near the end of the day and came home with 13.2 time-penalties to put him 12th.

Related articles:

• Michael Jung leads Rolex Kentucky after dressage
• Derek di Grazia to design 2018 WEG and 2020 Olympic cross-country courses
• Badminton first-timers: Emma Hyslop-Webb — ‘This makes the blood, sweat and tears worthwhile’

California-based British rider James Alliston made a giant leap from 64th to 21st after his long-time ride, Parker, accumulated only 3.6 time-penalties.

Although she is in 54th place, Panda Christie — the only British rider who came over from England to ride in the competition — deserved congratulations for finishing the course on Little Leo when eight prominent contenders did not.

The 40-year-old mother-of-three collected 31 jumping penalties for activating a frangible pin at one fence and crossing her tracks at another, but still managed to handle the difficult route under tough conditions.

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Andrew Nicholson — who has been confirmed as being the live contender in the Rolex Grand Slam following Jock Paget’s elimination from last year’s Land Rover Burghley — will be the final competitor to start at this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

Andrew starts at number 124 on triple bronze medallist Nereo, as well as at number 16 with last year’s Rolex Kentucky winner, Quimbo.

If he wins Rolex Kentucky this week on Avebury, Andrew will go into Badminton poised to collect the $350,000 (£208,600) bonus given by Rolex to any rider who can win Burghley, Kentucky and Badminton consecutively. This would add an extra spice to the competition and his late draw will ensure an exciting event to the end.

Andrew has never won Badminton, although he holds the record for most completions at the event, 33.

Izzy Taylor will be the pathfinder. She starts first on either Briarlands Matilda or Thistledown Poposki, depending which of the 3 horses she still has entered she decides to run. Izzy then runs either Thistledown Poposki or Dax Van Ternieuwbeke as her 2nd horse.

Badminton final scores

Australia’s Christopher Burton will be 2nd into the arena — and out of the cross-country start box — if Tempranillo is accepted from 20th on the wait list.

If not, the next starter will be Sarah Bullimore, riding My Last One. Although Sarah officially still has Reve Du Rouet in the draw, the horse will start at Rolex Kentucky tomorrow. She also rides Valentino V at the end of the competition at Badminton.

H&H blogger Sophie Jenman, a Badminton debutant, is number 48. This is likely to mean she will do dressage towards the end of Thursday, depending on the final make up of the start list once the wait list has closed.

So far, horses down to 8th on the wait list have been accepted. New Zealand’s successful amateur rider Megan Heath and St Daniel are the latest combination to get the call up, following the withdrawal of Andrew Hoy’s London 2012 horse Rutherglen. Horses continue to be accepted from the wait list until 2pm on Sunday, 4 May.

Badminton draw

Don’t miss H&H’s Badminton preview issues, out 1 and 8 May.

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Eventing’s great rivals — William Fox-Pitt and Andrew Nicholson — look set to battle it out again at this year’s Rolex Kentucky 3-day event, which starts tomorrow (Thursday 24 April).

Last year’s winner Andrew now only has 1 ride at the event — 2012 Burghley winner Avebury — after withdrawing reigning champion Quimbo.

Twice winner William has 2 rides with Catherine Witt’s Seacookie TSF and Bay My Hero.

Andrew could also potentially be in line to secure the second leg of eventing’s most lucrative prize — the Rolex Grand Slam. This is a $350,000 (£229,275) payout given to any rider who can win the world’s leading 4-stars, Mitsubishi Badminton, Land Rover Burghley and Kentucky, consecutively.

Andrew finished 2nd at Burghley last September behind Jock Paget who has subsequently been suspended from competition — pending an FEI tribunal — after his horse Clifton Promise tested positive for banned substance reserpine.

Badminton final scores

Andrew has not hidden the fact that he believes he will be declared the 2013 Burghley winner.

“I can’t see how I can’t win Burghley,” he told H&H in March. “It has been proved that the horse was competing on an illegal substance. So I will be targeting Kentucky and Badminton.”

Quimbo is still entered for Badminton at the moment (7-11 May) along with Andrew’s Olympic ride Nereo.

William is joined by 3 other British riders. Sarah Bullimore with Reve Du Rouet and Alice Dunsdon on Fernhill Present are both making their Kentucky debuts. James Alliston, who is originally from Gloucestershire but is now based in America, is also competing with Parker.

H&H columnist Sir Mark Todd will also have his eye on the top spot with Oloa. The combination finished 7th at Burghley, despite Mark having only taken on the ride a couple of months before. They have not had a single jumping fault this season.

There will be news and photos as the action unfolds across the weekend on the H&H website and a full report in next week’s magazine (1 May) — Don’t miss it!

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Andrew Nicholson put in a composed performance with Quimbo, the leader after cross-country, to win the Rolex Kentucky three-day event today. Their careful showjumping round set the stage for a battle of titans at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials next week as the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing comes to a thrilling climax.

The victory at the Kentucky Horse Park qualified Andrew for the last round of the $350,000 prize, which has only been won once since its inception in 2001. He took the first of the Grand Slam’s three legs at Burghley last year.

• Videos: Watch Andrew Nicholson’s winning rounds

William Fox-Pitt, second on Seacookie with a fault-free performance in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,989, qualified last year for the Grand Slam’s last chapter.

The situation is unique because Badminton was rained off last year, so William’s wins at Burghley in 2011 and Kentucky in 2012 have been carried over to offer him a chance at the bonus this year.

Both men will not only have to face the formidable challenge that is Badminton, but also Germany’s Michael Jung — considered by some as the best rider in the world in any discipline — before they can realise their dream.

William said: “It would have been nice if Chilli [Morning] had done his stuff yesterday [on cross-country, where he was retired] … but I’ve got to win next week anyway. It doesn’t matter what happened here; it’s all about next week.”

Asked for his thoughts after he cleared the final show jumping obstacle, which appropriately was the Grand Slam vertical, Andrew said: “You realise it’s a lot more important than the normal four-star.

“Quimbo is a very smart horse, very clever, and an unbelievable showjumper. That’s what he’s bred to do. To go round and jump the last fence and you’ve gone clear is a little what you expect to do if you ride him properly.”

Andrew finished with 41pen after adding three showjumping time penalties to his dressage score of 38, which had him in second place behind William and Chilli in the first phase. William was double-clear in the showjumping on Seacookie (pictured below), adding nothing to his dressage score of 46.2pen.

Seacookie went from 10th to fourth after cross-country, but rose over Andrew’s other mount, Calico Joe, when that notoriously bad showjumper had three fences down. Calico Joe dropped from second after cross-country to third on 52.8pen.

The highest-placed American was Buck Davidson (son of two-time world champion Bruce Davidson), who had the last two rails down with Ballynoe Castle RM on Richard Jeffery’s course to finish fourth on 53.2pen.

California-based British rider James Alliston was 14th on Parker and 23nd on Jumbo’s Jake, while his other mount, Tivoli, was the only horse eliminated at the second horse inspection this morning.

A total of 29 started in show jumping, left from the original field of 45.

• View Rolex Kentucky official scoreboard

Don’t miss Horse & Hound’s full report, complete with in-depth analysis of where the competition was won and lost, in Thursday’s magazine (2 May).

Photos by Nancy Jaffer

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William Fox-Pitt will be trying to scoop eventing’s biggest cash prize, the Rolex Grand Slam of eventing, at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials next week.

The Grand Slam is a $350,000 (£229,275) prize given by Rolex to any rider who can win the world’s leading four-stars, Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky, consecutively. The events can be won in any order and this is the first time a rider has tried to finish the quest at Badminton.

Pippa Funnell is the only person who has won the Grand Slam, taking all three events in 2003.

Two riders have won two legs, but failed at the final hurdle: Andrew Hoy went to Burghley in 2006 after winning Kentucky and Badminton, but finished second and fifth, while Oliver Townend took Badminton and Burghley 2009, but fell at Kentucky in 2010.

William won Burghley in 2011 and Kentucky in 2012, so should have headed to Badminton 2012 as a live Rolex Grand Slam of eventing contender. The cancellation of Badminton last year meant some fast thinking was needed by Rolex, which quickly announced that the challenge would roll over to this year. This opens up the possibility that he could win all three stages on one horse — Parklane Hawk, owned by Catherine Witt. William’s other ride at Badminton is the syndicate-owned Oslo.

The cancellation also sets up the possibility that two riders could be simultaneously trying to complete the Grand Slam at Badminton. If Andrew Nicholson, last year’s Burghley winner, takes Kentucky this weekend, he would claim the cheque if he went on to win Badminton. Andrew is riding Calico Joe and Quimbo in America’s only four-star event.

Other riders who have travelled from Britain to compete in Kentucky are William Fox-Pitt (Seacookie TSF and Chilli Morning) and Mary King (Fernhill Urco), while American-based British rider James Alliston will be riding Parker and Tivolli.

Find out how William is approaching his Rolex Grand Slam challenge in the first part of H&H’s Badminton preview, out tomorrow (25 May), and stay in touch with the latest news from Kentucky Rolex three-day-event on Horseandhound.co.uk throughout the weekend

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William Fox-Pitt needs to win next year’s Badminton Horse Trials to clinch the Rolex Grand Slam, following the cancellation of this year’s event, Rolex has announced today.

It had been unclear whether the third-leg of the Grand Slam would be Burghley this autumn (30 August-2 September) or Badminton 2013, but Rolex has now confirmed that William must wait a further 12 months to see if he can claim the £215,000 ($350,000) bonus prize.

The roll-over also means that William could be challenged for the Grand Slam at the same event if any other rider consecutively wins this year’s Burghley and the 2013 Rolex Kentucky.

The Rolex Grand Slam is on offer to any rider who wins in succession the three premiere CCI**** events – the US’s Rolex Kentucky, the UK’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The three events must be won in succession, but don’t have to be won on the same horse or in a calendar year.

William won at Burghley in 2011 and Kentucky last weekend.

The Grand Slam has only been won once – by Pippa Funnell in 2003, after she won Badminton, Kentucky and Burghley in one amazing year.

In 2006 Andrew Hoy almost did it when he won Kentucky and Badminton in the spring and led going into the show jumping at Burghley, but faults there dropped him to second.

And Oliver Townend got tantalisingly close in 2010, dodging the Icelandic ash cloud to get to Kentucky, only to suffer a crashing fall with Ashdale Cruise Master.

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Oliver Townend says he’ll be riding in a few days following his crashing fall in Kentucky.

Oliver’s second horse, Ashdale Cruise Master, somersaulted at fence 12, The Hollow, on Saturday at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event — landing on Oliver and ending his hopes of winning the Rolex Grand Slam.

Oliver was airlifted to hospital after being knocked unconscious, and has sustained a broken shoulder, collarbone, sternum and four broken ribs. As he was knocked out, he cannot compete for 21 days.

But despite this, the tough Yorkshireman spent Sunday night sleeping on the floor of Chicago airport waiting for his connecting flight home. Bad weather had delayed flights out of the US.

Now back in Shropshire after the epic ordeal, Oliver told H&H this afternoon that he planned to start riding at home in a few days.

“Who knows when I’ll be competing again, we’ll see,” he said, “but I’ll start riding a few days time.

“I’m not in that much pain to sit on one at home.”

Oliver has credited his Champion hat and Point Two jacket with minimising the “crunching” fall at Kentucky.

“These sorts of falls are the sort that people haven’t got up from previously,” he said.

“It’s down to personal preference, but in my opinion it’s not going to do any harm if someone has a Point Two on.

“Anyone who has seen the results of this jacket and doesn’t have one on is slow on the uptake in my opinion.”

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Oliver Townend had to put off his quest for the Rolex Grand Slam by one day because of the volcanic fallout that already had delayed his arrival at the Kentucky Horse Park earlier in the week.

He had been scheduled to ride ODT Master Rose yesterday (Thursday) as competition in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event got underway, but the event’s management made an accommodation for him, according to British team manager Will Connell.

“The organising committee has been very generous to Oliver,” Will said last night.

“With the voIcano in Iceland, it’s been very difficult to get everyone out here. And you know, the sport relies on owners and Oliver’s owners weren’t able to get out here tonight. So he is running both horses tomorrow (Friday).”

Oliver lost several days of training Master Rose and Ashdale Cruise Master due to the travel chaos but said: “The horses don’t seem to have missed me too much. I prefer to just get on with it now and see what I can do. We’re going to stay positive and see how we get on.

“It’s all a bit of a chance, but they’re good horses. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and getting the best out of them.”

The other two British riders, William-Fox Pitt (Cool Mountain) and US-based Leslie Law (Fleeceworks Mystere du Val) also are competing today (Friday).

The first day of dressage ended with an American sweep of the top three placings, as Karen O’Connor was first with her 2008 Olympic mount, Mandiba, on 43.7 penalties. Becky Holder, always in the hunt at Rolex, was second with Courageous Comet (45.2), while Phillip Dutton finished third on The Foreman (47.2).

Phillip is riding four horses at Rolex, adding one to the three he originally planned to compete after he had to scratch Woodburn from Badminton, since he couldn’t get him across the Atlantic with all the airline problems.

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Follow the action in the dressage phase of the Rolex Kentucky three-day event, as Oliver Townend bids to become the second rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam of eventing. This coverage is supplied by the Horse Radio Network, in association with Chronicle of the Horse. This service will carry a 15min delay.

You can also enjoy daily web reports, plus podcast round-ups of the action, every day throughout the event on Horseandhound.co.uk, plus a full report in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale 29 April ’10.

Don’t miss H&H’s exclusive live written commentary of all the action during the dressage phase of Badminton Horse Trials next Friday and Saturday at www.horseandhound.co.uk/Badminton2010live

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

British riders Oliver Townend (pictured) and William Fox-Pitt have had to make emergency travel plans to get to America to ride at Rolex Kentucky (22-25 April), due to the volcanic ash cloud preventing flights out of Britain.

Both riders withdrew from Belton’s Sunday classes, and headed to Spain, where flights are operating.

Oliver caught a train from Crewe to London and then the Eurostar to Paris. French train strikes meant he then had to take a taxi from Paris to Madrid. William caught a private flight to Madrid with the Hon Teresa Stopford Sackville, owner of his ride Cool Mountain.

Both are booked to fly from Madrid to Kentucky, via Miami and Atlanta, and scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 20 April).

Fortunately their horses — Cool Mountain and Oliver’s ODT Master Rose and Ashdale Cruise Master — had already flown out on Tuesday, 13 April and arrived safely on the other side of the Atlantic.

Not being able to get to Kentucky would have been a particular disaster for Oliver, who is bidding to complete the Rolex Grand Slam — awarded to any rider who can win Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky consecutively — and win $350,000 (£229,533).

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The drawn order for this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (30 April-3 May) has been published on the event’s website (pictured).

New Zealand’s Dan Jocelyn is the pathfinder with Special Attorney, while William Fox-Pitt will be last to go with either Seacookie or Macchiato — William still has three horses (these two and last year’s runner-up Idalgo) on the list, but can only start with two.

H&H’s online diarist Alex Hua Tian is number 7 with Jeans and 105 with Magenta. H&H columnist Tina Cook, one of the favourites for the event with her European champion Miners Frolic, starts at number 95.

Yesterday, Badminton director Hugh Thomas said: “I know I am sometimes accused of saying this every year, but we really do have a very high class field this year.”

Hugh also pointed out that, so far, fewer horses have come off the waiting list than in previous years.

Badminton final scores

“We have had fewer withdrawals in the two or three weeks since entries closed,” he said.

Horses down to 13th on the waiting list have been accepted so far, with 12 days to go until the starting list closes — horses are accepted to replace those withdrawn until 6pm on Tuesday, 27 April.

Last year, 43 horses were accepted from the waiting list and in 2008, 38, but unless there is a rush of late withdrawals, it looks unlikely to many will get the chance of a run this time.

Horses down to 46th on the original waiting list have been included in the draw.

Other four-star news: British Kentucky horses land

William Fox-Pitt and Oliver Townend’s rides for the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** are currently in quarantine in New York, having flown out to America from Stansted on Tuesday. They will arrive at the Kentucky Horse Park on Saturday, ready for the event next week (22-25 April).

William rides four-star first-timer Cool Mountain (number 63) — last year’s Blair CCI*** winner — while Oliver hopes to clinch the Rolex Grand Slam on either Ashdale Cruise Master (69) or ODT Master Rose (4).

The other British entry at Kentucky is 2004 Olympic champion Leslie Law, who is now based in America. He rides Fleeceworks Mystère Du Val (50) in his first four-star start since Kentucky in 2006.

Don’t miss H&H’s Badminton preview issue, out next Thursday (22 April).

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Oliver Townend has entered last year’s Burghley winner Carousel Quest (pictured) for Kentucky, giving himself another option in his bid to complete the Rolex Grand Slam.

Oliver’s stated first choice for Kentucky, new ride Ashdale Cruise Master, had a hiccup on the weekend with a fall at Lincolnshire on his second run with the Shropshire-based rider.

But Oliver said that Carousel Quest had been entered for Kentucky before this, with his entry going in last week.

“Carousel Quest is just on such unbelievable form,” he said. “I’ll take Ashdale Cruise Master and either Carousel Quest or ODT Master Rose [his other original entry] to Kentucky.”

Carousel Quest has not run yet this year, but is entered for Gatcombe’s advanced intermediate this weekend.

The lucrative Rolex Grand Slam is a $350,000 (£233,571) bonus to any event rider who can win the world’s three biggest four-stars — Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky — consecutively.

Oliver won Badminton last year on Flint Curtis and Burghley on Carousel Quest, so if he can win the American four-star at Kentucky (22-25 April) this time he will scoop the prize.

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Oliver Townend is pinning his hopes of completing the Rolex Grand Slam on a new ride, Ashdale Cruise Master (pictured).

The lucrative Rolex Grand Slam is a $350,000 (£233,571) bonus to any event rider who can win the world’s three biggest four-stars — Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky — consecutively.

Oliver won Badminton last year on Flint Curtis and Burghley on Carousel Quest, so if he can win the American four-star at Kentucky (22-25 April) this time he will scoop the prize.

Today Oliver confirmed that he plans to ride Ashdale Cruise Master at Kentucky, as well as possibly ODT Master Rose.

Ashdale Cruise Master completed Burghley last year with Emily Gilruth, and over the winter the owners Henry and Edna Harding moved him to Oliver’s Shropshire yard.

“He’s a very classy horse, with lots and lots of scope,” said Oliver. “My biggest problem is it’s a race against time on the dressage front, but he’s definitely one of the best horses I’ve ridden.”

Oliver will have his first British Eventing run with the 11-year-old Cruising gelding in the advanced intermediate at Poplar Park this Sunday.

Rolex Grand Slam pressure

Only one rider has won the Rolex Grand Slam, Pippa Funnell, who scooped the prize, then $250,000 (£166,843), after victories at the events with Supreme Rock and Primmore’s Pride in 2003 (the three events have to be won consecutively, but any order and any number of horses is permitted).

Australian Andrew Hoy put himself in line for the prize when he won Kentucky and Badminton in 2006, but he couldn’t quite complete the trio at Burghley, finishing second.

Both Pippa and Andrew felt the pressure leading up to the final event, but Oliver is confident he can cope.

“All I’m worried about is riding well and getting the best out of my horses,” he said. “I’ve never been flapped by media attention before, and I know there’s going to be more attention, but at the same time, it’s simply another big event I want to win.

“It might seem risky to only take one horse to Kentucky, but the last two four-stars I won I only had one ride and it seemed to work getting my head down and focusing on one horse. It’s a long week for me, but I can get some sleep and concentrate on getting the job done.”

Other plans

Oliver might take ODT Master Rose, a 10-year-old he has produced since he was six, to Kentucky, but he and Golden Hue are both entered for Badminton.

Oliver was vague about plans for both his “grey boys” — Flint Curtis and Carousel Quest. Both are now older horses (14 and 15) and neither would be suited to making the long journey to Kentucky, and he said that Carousel Quest will be aimed at Burghley again.

“He suits Burghley, so why not save him for that?” he reasoned. “He seems to blossom at Burghley every time [he was fourth there with Cressida Clague Reading in 2006, as well as winning last year].”

Oliver confirmed that the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Kentucky in the autumn is a priority for him: “I want to improve on my result for the team, and the worlds are as big a competition as anything in my mind. I want to go there and win that.”

Oliver hinted that at this stage Ashdale Cruise Master would be his first choice for WEG, but he hasn’t ruled out other horses.

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Any rider aspiring to win the world’s toughest three-day events has an extra incentive now: a Rolex Grand Slam prize-pot of $350,000 (about £178,000).

The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing is on offer to any rider who wins in succession the three premiere CCI**** events — America’s Rolex Kentucky, the UK’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The Grand Slam feat has only been achieved by Pippa Funnell, who won all three events in 2003 on two different horses.

In 2006 Andrew Hoy came close when he won Kentucky and Badminton in the spring and led going into the show jumping at Burghley, but faults there dropped him to second.

This year’s Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing prize-pot is a US$100,000 (£51,000) increase on the previous offerings.

Only William Fox-Pitt is currently “live” in the competition, having won Burghley last August. But to achieve the Grand Slam, he would have to win the Rolex Kentucky at the end of April (24-27), travel back to the UK and win at Badminton the weekend after (1-4 May).

The three events must be won in succession, but don’t have to be won on the same horse or in a calendar year.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now