Among the horses and riders scheduled to compete Thursday are Kerry Millikin on Out and About, the 1996 Individual Olympic Bronze Medalists; 1995 Badminton winner Eagle Lion and his rider Bruce Davidson, Sr.; 1998 Rolex Kentucky CCI*** champions Makabi and Tiffani Loudon; and 1999 Rolex Kentucky CCI*** winners Over The Limit and Kimberly Vinoski. Lexington's own Cathy Wieschhoff is scheduled to ride two horses, Spelga Dam and Maker's Mark Westlord. The competitive husband and wife pair, Karen and David O'Connor, Olympic team Silver Medalists, will also ride two horses, one each on Thursday morning in Dressage and one each on Friday afternoon.

Vinoski's mount Over The Limit heads into this competition having just galloped to victory in the North American Beaulieu Classic CIC*** (GA), while Davidson's Eagle Lion recently won the Advanced Divisions at both the Pine Top (GA) and Morven Park (VA) Horse Trials.

International riders entered include 1996 Olympic Team Gold Medalist Phillip Dutton of Australia; 1996 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist Mark Todd of New Zealand; 1996 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist Blyth Tait of New Zealand; Dan Jocelyn of New Zealand; and Jennie Jarnstrom of Sweden.

"The dressage phase of the competition is crucial to the outcome of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer," said Jane Atkinson, Executive Vice President of Equestrian Events, Inc., producer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. "It is a mental boost to the rider when they head into the second part of the event, the cross-country phase, with a good dressage score."

The 2000 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer, takes place April 27-30 at the scenic Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The competition features the Rolex/U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Four Star Championship, and is also the second-to-last domestic Selection Trial for the USET's Olympic Eventing Squad and the only one at the Olympic level. More than 60,000 spectators are expected over the four days of the event.

The sport of three-day eventing evolved from international cavalry competitions used to test the training and fitness of military mounts. The competition consists of three distinct elements over the course of four days: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. The horse-and-rider pair with the lowest combined overall score from the three tests is the winner.

Along with the exciting equestrian action, there is an International Trade Fair with more than 150 merchants, dog agility competitions, and a variety of other fun family activities and entertaining attractions. Merchandise available at the Trade Fair includes designer clothing, artwork, gifts, sport clothing, horse-related items, event souvenir items and much more.