Source:  News Release/Equestrian Events Inc.

Celebrity Filled Competition to Highlight Kentucky Reining Cup

Lexington, KY - The Kentucky Reining Cup, which features World Championship gold medalists and other world-class competitors, is held alongside the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, America’s only Four Star Eventing competition, which runs April 25-28.

The Kentucky Reining Cup features an international Three Star Reining competition and the incredibly popular World Freestyle Championship. Action begins on Friday night, April 26 with the CRI3*.

On Friday, four-time Grammy Award winner and country music legend Lyle Lovett will return for a third year to compete in the Kentucky Reining Cup’s CRI3*. Lovett will join a world-class field of Reining riders including Shawn Flarida, Tom McCutcheon and Tim McQuay, teammates on the United States’ Gold Medal team at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

As an American country singer-songwriter, Lovett has been a fixture of the country music scene for almost three decades. Considered one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters to surface during the 1980s, he released his self-titled debut album in 1986, and has released a total of fifteen albums since. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Male Vocal (1989), and Best Country Album for The Road to Ensenada (1996).

Lovett is an accomplished horseman who has made a name for himself in the horse world through breeding and competing Quarter Horses. Despite the demands of his music career, the country legend devotes time to the sport of Reining which is one of his passions.

Lovett’s return as a competitor is welcomed by many. The country star has gained a reputation for being friendly with everyone at the Kentucky Reining Cup. His affable manner is in contrast to his intensity during competition, which is known to all who have seen him compete.

The celebrity guest appearances don’t stop with Lovett. On Saturday evening, Eventing stars will try their hand at Reining during the Kentucky Reining Cup’s Freestyle competition. Special guests scheduled to compete include David O’Connor, individual Gold Medalist at the 2000 Olympic Games; Bobby Costello, a member of the United States’ gold medal team at the 2003 Pan American Games; Allison Springer, Reserve Champion at the 2012 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, and Sinead Halpin, winner of the prestigious Radnor Hunt National Two Star Championships.

"I’m very excited to have these stars participating in the Kentucky Reining Cup this year,” said Darren Ripley, President of Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), producer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and Kentucky Reining Cup. "It is exciting to see these competitors doing something a little different and I have no doubt that the crowds will love it.”

For more information on the 2013 Kentucky Reining Cup, or to purchase tickets, please go to www.KentuckyReining.com. 

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