King Earns Double-Victory at Rolex Kentucky

In front of 15,743 fans and a live NBC television audience, Mary King of Great Britain became the first rider ever to finish first and second in the CCI4* at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone. She rode both Kings Temptress (47.7) and Fernhill Urco (49.7) to perfectly faultless show jumping rounds to win the Rolex watch that goes to the winner.

Sinead Halpin, of Gladstone, N.J., also galloped to a faultless round to claim third place on Manoir De Carneville (53.1), making her the highest-placed American rider and the Rolex/USEF Four-Star Champion.

William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain, the 2007 Rolex Kentucky winner, guided Neuf Des Coeurs to fourth place (54.0), while Clayton Fredericks of Australia, the 2007 Rolex Kentucky winner, dropped to fifth place when Be My Guest lowered one rail (57.0).

King, 49, said that she’d felt so excited last night, after riding her horses to the two top spots, that she had to watch a movie on TV at 2:00 a.m. But she said she didn’t get nervous as the riders who were placed behind her completed their show jumping rounds.

“I was fairly calm, actually,” she said. “I always feel with a three-day event that the cross-country is the big day and that today whatever will be will be in the show jumping. You just hope that they pick up their feet and it all works out.”

King had been worried on Saturday afternoon that Fernhill Urco might not jump as well today as usual, because he was quite tired after completing his first four-star cross-country course. The 10-year-old gelding was bred in Portugal, not a common nursery for international event horses. But he never touched a rail.

So when King returned to the ring on Kings Temptress, she had the luxury of knowing that she’d already won. Plus, she could afford to knock down a rail in her second round and still claim first and second places.

King bred Kings Temptress, 11, out of a mare she had competed at the lower levels until she suffered a severe injury. Rolex Kentucky was the third four-star event for Kings Temptress.

Halpin, 29, worked for Fox-Pitt in England during 2008-2009, seeking to gain more expertise and experience. She had previously trained with former Rolex Kentucky winners Karen and David O’Connor, who recommended that she train with Fox-Pitt. This was the first four-star start for both Halpin and Manoir De Carneville.

“I couldn’t get him to teach me to save my life, so I just rode next to him,” said Halpin with a laugh. She said that watching Fox-Pitt taught her to ride more by instinct, “instead of over-thinking everything.”

Said Fox-Pitt of Halpin, “She came with all the talent in the world but with a bit of tension and over-keenness to be good. I felt very proud watching her to jump today and proud to have finished behind her.”

Fox-Pitt was also proud of Neuf Des Coeurs, 10, competing in his first four-star event. “Going into the show jumping, you never quite know. There’s so much to look at in that arena—more than they see back in the U.K.—so I didn’t know what he might do,” said Fox-Pitt, 42. “He really rose to the challenge yesterday, and he did his best again today. I’m thrilled with him.”