THE 2018 Land Rover Kentucky three-day event - the nation's premier three-day event and one of the most prestigious equestrian competitions in the world - is ready to welcome the world's best riders from across the country and around the globe when it returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, April 26th -29th. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1978 world three-day event championships at the Kentucky Horse Park, which developed into the long-standing annual Kentucky three-day event.

New this year is a $225,000 FEI CSI3* Invitational show jumping Grand Prix, to be held in Rolex Stadium on Saturday following the completion of cross-country. There will also be a $35,000 1.45M FEI ranking class, also in Rolex Stadium, after the completion of Friday afternoon's dressage. There is no charge for Grand Prix or ranking class tickets, but seats must be reserved through the ticketing system ahead of time.

"We expect a large number of entries and spectators as this year's event is an important competition on the international equestrian calendar and is a Land Rover U.S. eventing team qualifier," said organizer Stewart Perry, president of Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI)

"Our event always offers non-stop excitement, and this year we are adding an internationally-rated show jumping competition for the first time, which will double the fun!"

The Land Rover Kentucky three-day event is one of only six annual 'four star' three-day events in the world, and the only one in the western hemisphere, as designated by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (International Equestrian Federation - FEI), the world's governing body of equestrian sports. A 'four star' eventing competition is the sport's highest designation, which is given only to the Olympic Games, World Championships, and the six annual events around the world. The Kentucky event draws more than 80,000 spectators to the Kentucky Horse Park each year.

The 2018 Land Rover Kentucky three-day event will again offer $400,000 in prize money and give competitors a chance at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is awarded to any rider who wins theLand Rover Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley Four-Star Events in succession. There have only been two riders in eventing history (Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung) to have claimed the elite Grand Slam status. This year's Land Rover Kentucky three-day event will also be a qualifying selection trial for the Land Rover U.S. eventing team that will represent the U.S. in the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in September.

The Dubarry of Ireland Nations Team Challenge will also be featured again this year, awarding $20,000 in prize money to the winning nation with the fewest penalties after adding together the final scores of the three highest-placed individuals from that nation.

TICKETS

Ticket options include single-day, three-day (Fri-Sat-Sun) and four-day general admissions, as well as group sales and reserved grandstand seating. All grounds admission tickets include general parking, admission to the Kentucky Horse Park and International Trade Fair, but do not include access to the competition in the Rolex Stadium. Reserved grandstand seating is sold separately from grounds admission and traditionally the best seats are sold out by early January, so everyone is encouraged to place orders as early as possible.

Tickets for the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event can be ordered online at www.KentuckyThreeDayEvent.com/tickets or over the phone (859-254-8123). Groups of 15 or more are encouraged to call into the box office to place their order. Further information on the Kentucky Three-Day Event is available at www.KentuckyThreeDayeEent.com.