1978 World Three-Day Event Championships 30th Anniversary Commemorative DVD Now Available!
RELEASE: April 24, 2008
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Brian Sosby
Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI), organizer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, is excited to offer equestrian sport fans their very own piece of eventing history in the form of a fully restored DVD.
In 1978, over the course of four very hot and humid days, an enthusiastic crowd of over 170,000 people converged upon the brand new Kentucky Horse Park to attend the World Three-Day Event Championships, also organized by Equestrian Events, Inc. Thirty years later, EEI Executive Vice President Jane Atkinson found a long-forgotten film of those 1978 Championships stored away at EEI headquarters. The film turned out to be a fully produced broadcast of the Championships narrated by eventing legend Bruce Davidson who won the Individual World Championship for the second consecutive time at that historic event. The films have now been fully restored and digitally copied in full color to DVD and they are available for sale to the general public.
"It is extremely exciting to see this historic footage of the Kentucky Horse Park from 1978, when it was in its infancy," said Atkinson. "The success of those World Championships is what led to the establishment of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, arguably the premiere three-day event in the world.
"It's also a very appropriate time to reflect on the Horse Park's notable past, as it has recently made history again by being selected as the site for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Just as the 1978 World Eventing Championships were the first held outside Europe, so it will be when the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games come to Kentucky in 2010."
DVDs of the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships include 65 minutes of coverage. The DVDs cost $20.00 each, and they are available at www.thesporthouse.com or by calling (888) 546-7406. DVDs also will be sold on-site at the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park April 24-27.
The only four-star event in the Western Hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, is the premiere competition for the top horses and riders in Eventing. Past winners include United States Olympic medalists David and Karen O'Connor and Kim Severson; New Zealand's Blyth Tait and Nick Larkin, Pippa Funnell of Great Britain and Andrew Hoy and Clayton Fredericks of Australia.
The owner of the winning horse at Rolex is awarded $80,000 and the winning rider receives a classic Rolex timepiece. The classic Kentucky Julep Cup is presented to each as a reminder of their singular accomplishment. This year's Rolex Kentucky CCI**** also serves as a U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Selection Trial for Eventing.
For more information, on the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, please visit the Rolex Kentucky website at www.rk3de.org.
Marty Bauman
ENDS