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Dutton Wins Range Rover Evoque For Cross-Country Ride At Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Land Rover

by Classic Communications | Apr 27, 2014, 9:50 AM

Phillip Dutton (left) and wife Evie (right) accepted a 2014 Range Rover Evoque from Kim McCullough, the Land Rover of North America vice president for branding, at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover.
(Ben Radvani photo)
Phillip Dutton (left) and wife Evie (right) accepted a 2014 Range Rover Evoque from Kim McCullough, the Land Rover of North America vice president for branding, at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover. (Ben Radvani photo)
Lexington, Ky.,
  - Phillip Dutton won the Land Rover Best Ride of the Day award on Saturday at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover. His prize was a two-year lease on a 2013 Range Rover Evoque, a car he drove away on Saturday afternoon.

Dutton won the Land Rover Ride of the Day on Trading Aces, with whom he was placed ninth after cross-country. The Land Rover Best Ride of the Day award goes to the U.S. rider who finishes closest to the optimum time, with no jumping penalties.

Dutton, of West Grove, Pa., was the fifth rider on the cross-country course with Trading Aces, and he finished exactly on the optimum time of 11:12, checking his watch often as he neared the end of the course.

Dutton has only been riding Trading Aces for a few weeks, substituting for his friend Boyd Martin, who broke his leg in a fall from another horse during an event in March. Martin retired Trading Aces late on course in 2013, but Dutton credited Martin with giving the horse increased experience and fitness since then. "All credit to Boyd and everyone who's worked with him," said Dutton.

Dutton smiled and said he would not be sharing his Evoque with Martin, because Martin had won a different model of car with Trading Aces earlier this year.

The Range Rover Evoque, introduced in 2012, features a new ZF-9HP nine-speed automatic transmission to enhance performance and efficiency and a suspension configured for dynamic and agile handling across varied terrain. The Evoque is available in three models, each with a unique design theme.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Land Rover, April 24-27 at the Kentucky Horse Park, is one of the world's most prestigious equestrian competitions and features the world's best horses and riders vying for their share of $250,000 in prize money, as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is awarded to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley four-star Events in succession.

The 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is a selection trial for the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and will crown the 17th Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion. The only four-star event in the Western Hemisphere, Rolex Kentucky draws an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 spectators and is seen by millions more on worldwide telecasts.