Oliver Townend Triumphs with Back to Back Win
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 – Showjumping, Final Day
1 OLIVER TOWNEND, COOLEY MASTER CLASS – 25.3
2 BOYD MARTIN, TSETSERLEG – 27.9
3 TIM PRICE, XAVIER FAER – 30.9
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.