This year’s Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing will witness a twenty seven year old champion Oliver Townend who belongs to Great Britain make his way to Kentucky to add the title to his kitty and win the prize money. In order to win the title of Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, any eventing athlete needs to be victorious in the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials and in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and that too in successive manner. Out of the three events, Oliver Townend has proved his worth in the first two events and is left with just one hurdle before he wins the title.  The Grand Slam of Eventing is a Rolex sponsored event which incorporates CCI**** competitions from the domain of eventing.

The priced title of the Rolex Grand Slam has been won only once in the history of the event by Pippa Funnel from Great Britain in the year 2003. Officially the prize money for the Rolex Four Star Championship is about $250,000 however, the person who will be winning over the title to become the second in history after the victory of 2003, will be getting the prize money of $350,000.

Apparently, Oliver Townend would not be seen riding any of his horses that have been with him for a long time namely- Carousel Quest, Burghley mount or Flint Curtis.  The rider will be seen on the back of Ashdale Cruise Master, a horse which has been with him for only a brief period of two months. This grey coloured ride- Ashdale Cruise Master has played a companion to his former owner Emily Grunth to win the Burghly four-star twice. However, this information has come as a surprise to many of his fans.

Oliver Townend got his love for eventing from his parents. With his father being an eventing player and his mother having proved her worth as a side saddle at the county level, it was but inevitable that the young Oliver too fall for this exciting sport. He started riding while he was barely 7 years old on his pony called Cool Mule and he had his first brush with success at the age of 13 when he represented Britain in an eventing team during the European Championship. Oliver Townend maintained his success and only kept getting better with time. He moved upward in the ranks and for a period of three years worked as a jockey for Kenneth Clawson, a British Team Trainer following which the champion never looked back.

In the year 2009, Oliver Townend won the CCI**** at Badminton and also won Burghley CCI**** while riding Carousel Quest.  This earned him a name among the league of the top class riders and also bagged him a place in the 2009 HSBC FEI Classics as well as in the Rolex Grand Slam in Kentucky. These victories together with certain others made him a number one event rider in the three-day event.

With the prestigious title of Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing and hefty prize money on stake for champion Oliver Townend, this year it’s going to be one super exciting and fun filled event which has already got fans and media talking about it.

Bruce Davidson, the veteran equestrian will not be participating in this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Following several herniated discs, Bruce Davidson had to undergo back surgery last week following which the equestrian will have to keep away from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Bruce Davidson has taken the decision to give his body sufficient time for recovery. Apparently, the star equestrian who has been racing for a major period of his life hopes to return to action by summer time. He calls his condition a result of several years of wear and tear. However, Bruce Davidson will attend the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and will be seen cheering his two sons Buck and Boyd Martin. At present his son rides Rock on Rose which is Bruce Davidson’s horse. The racer is not very sure about his horses Cruise Lion and Jam competing in the event.

One of the most celebrated events, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event owes its existence to the legendary event rider Bruce Davidson.  It was Bruce Davidson’s victory in the year 1974 World Championships which eventually gave an opportunity to United States to host the 1978 World Championships. The 1974 event awarded the victorious individual’s nation with a chance to host the next World Equestrian Games. Following which the 1978 Championship event took place at the Kentucky Horse
Park Lexington, Kentucky and spanned over a period of three days. Sometime later, the name of the event was changed to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day. The event also turned out to be the first and the only four-star event in the history of United States. Bruce Davidson has been inseparable part of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day ever since. The man has also been victorious for about six times in the event since the time of its commencement.

Born in a business class family, Bruce Davidson’s early interest in horse riding and a determined focus led him to become legendary in the domain of eventing.  As a young boy, Bruce Davidson used to buy a pony, train it and ride it all summer. His horse Irish Cap was one such ride which Bruce Davidson bought during one such holiday. The horse however remained with him for a long time. Irish Cap was in fact the horse which helped him compete at some of the top platforms in eventing. Bruce Davidson together with Irish Cap went on to register his victory at the 1974 World Championships. He has participated in the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event for about 68 times, riding 30 different horses.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event remains to be the only four star event in the US and is also one of the only five CCI**** events held across the globe. The grand event is sponsored by the giant watch maker Rolex. To many of the equestrians, the event is known just as Rolex. The winner of the championship is awarded with the prize money of $190,000 along with a priced Rolex watch marvel.

The three day event of St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta is all set to make its way on Friday, 26th March and will go on till Sunday, 28th March. The highly acclaimed competition is hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club which has been taking place for about 37 years now. The event is known for setting high benchmarks in the field of sailing. The supremely challenging and tough event not only counts for a part of 2010 US-IRC Gulf Stream Series, it has also bagged a place right ahead of the Sailing Festival and the BVI Spring Regatta. Apparently the races together make for the Virgin Islands Race Week.

This prestigious event is also considered one of the best Vacation racing events that many sailors across the globe look forward to. The International Rolex Regatta is welcoming a newcomer to its competition- Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s Judel/Vrolik 52 Interlodge. Speaking about the excitement that the International Rolex Regatta brings along, Austin Fragomen, a New York based sailor said that the event holds its own unique appeal that pulls the sailors from far off places. The elated sailor went on to add that the fact that St. Thomas Yacht Club serves not only as a headquarter to the grand sailing event but also feels like home to the sailors who after the long day of racing hit the dock together with the competitors which is just minutes away from the race courses. This year’s St.Thomas International Rolex Regatta allows the sailors to avail of better marine facilities by booking the berth for their sail boats at Yacht Haven Grande and American Yacht Harbor.

Fragomens who sailed in TP52 and remained third in the event at the Key West Race Week would get a fair chance through the IRC Class to prove their victory in that event. This year will mark the third time in the history when the International Rolex Regatta would allow the boats to race under the dedicated IRC guidelines where it’s not necessary for the sailors to own a CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) certificate, a measurement rule which is popular in the island regions. With this the International Role Regatta will be considered as the only regatta in the Caribbean which does not require a CSA certificate.

The event is supported by manyfamous brands including Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Hotel, Heineken and Mount Gay Rum. So far, more than a dozen IRC boats have been registered with the Regatta. These boats would get classified and divided into two groups. The big names that are participating in the regatta include Bill Alcot’s Andrew 68 Equation, Jim Muldson’s Custom 72 Donnybrook, Rochard Humphreys 42 Oystercatcher XXVI, Freddie Mill’s Frers 80 Kialoa V and two of the Farr 65s.

Other names which will be giving a fight to the other boats in the International Rolex Regatta include Richard Alan Fougere’s J/160 Avatar, William Coates’ J/122 Otra Vez, and Richard Oland’s Vela Veloce. This famous regatta of international acclaim hosts up to 100 sailing boats for various classes including IRC, Spinnaker Racing/Cruising and Non-Spinnaker Racing.

In-keeping with the Rolex tradition of involving fans in every aspect of an event, visitors to the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event will be able to be part of tours to the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. The tours are schedules to be hosted between the 21^st and the 23^rd of April, 2010. Rood & Riddle Equine hospital is the official equine hospital as well as veterinary partner to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Rolex not only takes interest in the health of the participants to its events but also pays equal stress on the health of the horses. Since no equestrian event can be won without proper coordination and understanding with the steed, it becomes quintessential to closely monitor the health of the horses that participate in such events.

In case of equestrian events, the universally accepted truth is that the horses play an equal, if not more, important role in winning the event. Though participating in the event with a healthy steed does not ensure a win; however, it does increase the chances. The tours have been arranged in order to give visitors a better insight into the procedures that are carried on behind the scenes at hospitals that cater to these beautiful animals. The tour will take the guests through the state-of-the-art facility. The visitors will be able to see first hand the procedures followed in surgery, the diagnostic imaging systems as well as the podiatry center. They will also get an insight into the advances that have taken place in the field of equine veterinary medicine as well as patient care. The tour will also educate visitors with presentations on the intricacies of MRI and treadmill endoscopic evaluations of the equine upper airway.

The information on MRIs along with its application in the arena of equine veterinary medicine is scheduled to be presented by Travis Tull who is a DVM. MRI has come into extensive use only within the past 5 years, though it has been used in equine clinical cases for about a decade. As MRI is a fast evolving sector of equine medicine, Rood & Riddle is one of the few private equine hospitals in the country to own and use a 1.5 Tesla high-field magnet MRI unit to help make advances in their ability to diagnose. The video presentation in the treadmill room is scheduled to be given by Brett Woodie. Brett Woodie will explain to the visitors how treadmill exams are performed and also demonstrate some common upper airway abnormalities that have been known to affect the equine athlete. Brett Woodie went on to state that he looked forward to making the presentation and have horsemen and women visit the hospital when the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is underway. He also stated that it would be a brilliant opportunity to share his knowledge and the hospital’s cutting edge treatment options that exist for the equestrian sport participant. The tours are estimated to last for an approximate of 1 hour and 15 minutes. The timings for the tours have been scheduled as 2 p.m. on April 21, and later at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. on April 22 and 23.

A brand new storey has been mounted in the great legacy of Rolex with the Rolex Learning Centre for the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. The single storey building is an epitome of perfect and modern marvel in every possible sense. Spread over an area of 88,000 cubic metres, the marvel is made from concrete shell and has been created keeping the very core principles that Rolex stands by- class and perfection. The design of the building looks distinct with huge 14 voids capped by steel.

This Rolex marvel has been built by Sanaa, a Tokyo based architectural company of world acclaim, famous for designing the New York’s New Museum. The team of architects has gone a step further this time around with their ultra unique and supremely creative design which appears to be barely on the ground. The Rolex Learning Centre is primarily a Mecca for the learners of watch making. The centre would comply with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland and is situated at just a short distance from the Lake Geneva.

This immaculately designed building speaks volumes of the spirit and the commitment that Rolex stands for. Although the building is called the Rolex Learning Centre, the design of the building sings another tune. The overall architecture and design of the building reflects a spirit of breaking away from the clichéd perception and unlearn all the rules; so as to make way for the new dawn. The distinct building has wave like design all across the floor and does not possess any steps or ceiling. The roof of the storey has large holes resembling the famous Swiss cheese for natural light and fresh air. The building is a beauty to behold and is blessed with the modern marvels.

Primarily, the Rolex Learning Centre building was envisioned by the architects to be a multi storey one which would have included a library, café, laboratory including other major branches, one on top of the other. However, the idea to come out with a more spacious place drove the architects and designers to come out with a more open, innovative and distinctly different single storey marvel. The building maintains the serenity and aesthetic count of the location where it is built.

The Rolex Learning Centre has more to it than just the aesthetic count. The centre would serve as an information shelter where students would learn the nitty-gritty about watch making of the world class stature. The university has about 4,000 researchers and 7,000 students. Instead of the stairs and walls, the single storey building has elegant slopes and terraces which very well divide one area of studying from the other. The exterior of the building has a dazzling sheen of polish, adorned with delicate detailing. The transitions between the rise and fall of the internal framework are hard to notice. While the beautiful landscape was being built, the makers faced a lot of obstacles and called for unusual levels of dedication and commitment. Together the pioneers of their own domains, Rolex and world class architectures Sanaa have given the world a unique and supremely classy modern marvel.