Multiple deluges did not prove dangerous for horses at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, held April 22-25 in Lexington. Many well-conditioned horses slogged through the mud on April 24 to meet–if not beat–their optimum cross country course times with few injuries. The April 25 jumping test was much wetter, but still safe. Fifty-five of 82 horses completed the competition.

This year was the first running of the modified four-star event, in which rider/horse pairs already qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens performed Phases A and D of cross country–phase D was over a shorter distance than that in the regular four-star, but with only one less jumping effort, which is a notable adjustment for horses used to galloping longer distances between jumps. This format is patterned after what will be experienced in Athens.

Due to the muddy conditions, the four-star horses began cross country first–to offer better conditions under which to qualify for the Olympics–with the modified group going later.

Australia’s Phillip Dutton, who finished second in both divisions, commented on cross country: “The ground certainly wasn’t dry by any means, but it was harder to accelerate and get the time,” he said. “Parts of it were deeper than others–on the turns toward the end (of the course), you had to decide which track was best for you