The buildup for the FEI World Equestrian Games has reached a feverish pitch, as riders are preparing for the grueling weeks ahead at the Rolex Ranking Equestrian event to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park Grounds.

The venue has already changed beyond recognition; dotted as it is with temporary scaffoldings and vehicles carrying the paraphernalia necessary for the racing event.

Commenting on the activities, Sean Doane, Venue Manager, said that the site would be a beehive of activity until September. Later he took the opportunity to describe the seating plan in detail; starting with Stands A and Stands C which line the left and the right sides of the Outdoor stadium.

Work on Stand B would begin in the month of July after the completion of the annual horse racing events. The stand is expected to take 20 days for completion.

The premier equestrian event will have valuable Rolex Ranking Points on offer, making it a must for fans and competitors alike. Understanding the importance of the event no expenses have been spared to make the event a huge success.

Logistic concerns of the teams will be taken care of by erecting temporary office structures at the site. The activities are expected to hit a peak in the month of August with the erecting of media, hospitality and trade show infrastructures.

The event became important after the recent upheavals in the world of FEI World Equestrian games, caused by relegation of some events to non ranking event due to their failure to fulfill the mandatory $25,000 prize money requirements.

The Kentucky Equestrian event was one of those that suffered because the FEI chose to downgrade the event due to its failure to comply with the minimum prize money requirement. Rolex Ranking points are highly sought out by the horse racing fraternity as it allows them to measure themselves against their competitors.

The decision to downgrade the Kentucky event infuriated many veterans who said that prize money should not be the only factor while determining whether a tournament is worthy of Rolex ranking points. According to them, there were other factors that should be taken into consideration like popularity of the event, the venue and the level of completion. They said that it was unfortunate that certain European events benefited from currency fluctuation even though the quality of the competition at these events was nothing to crow about. According to them, the Rolex Ranking Points garnered at such events was seriously devalued because it did not come against the best in the completion.

Two times Rolex Junior All-American, Emma Talley, won the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass event on her third attempt. The win exorcised past failures at the tournament where she has often been guilty of squandering perfectly winnable positions. On her way to victory she scored a perfectly acceptable 1-over-par 211.

The 54-hole event is held under the aegis of the American Junior Golf Association at the Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland.

The two times Rolex Champion scored two birdies and one bogey en route to her first victory of the 2010 season. She attributed her victory to better putting, especially when the chips were down. The victory came after a successful 2009 where she had won three events.

Speaking to the press after the event, she said that the victory was special since it came in her home state and it took her three years of pain, sweat and plain hard work to pull off the victory.

The second place was won by Emily Wright of Mason, Ohio, who scored a 9-over par 219, followed by Allison Harper of Columbus, Ohio, in third place, with a score of 17-over-par 227.

Emma Talley led the field at the completion of the first round of preliminaries; scoring a 1-under-par 69. During the same phase Emily Wright and Allison Harper scored 71 and 72 respectively.   The treacherous back nine was navigated without any problems on the back of her putting game which was on top form.

Later, she was a picture of determination as she handled the questions thrown at her with poise and élan worthy of a champion.  Commenting on the competition she said that the tournament featured the best in the business and one mistake could often prove to be a difference between victory and defeat. She also reflected on her past performances where she had let go chances of winning due to sheer carelessness.

The second round was comparatively tougher for Emma Talley as she scored a 3-over-par 73, which included five bogeys and two birdies. Later, she commented that she could have easily lost control of the second round had it not been for the patches of good form sandwiched between inconsistent showings.

Emma Talley had had two tilts at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior before; coming second in the 2009 tournament and a fourth in 2009. Agonizing over last year’s performance where she had narrowly missed the crown due to some carelessness, she said that she lost by one after leading the tournament throughout.

The two time Rolex champion rode on the back of some good form in the later stages of the tournament to make it her maiden victory at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior championship.
Next, the tournament travels to the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, venue for the Rolex Tournament of Champions.

Cristie Kerr became the first player born in the United States to reach the No.1 in Rolex Ranking in the women’s LPGA tour. She achieved this unique distinction in style beating her nearest competitor by a sixteen stroke margin.

The remarkable feat bested Tiger Wood’s 15 stroke differential in a major championship. Earlier this week, the critics had doubted whether anybody had the caliber to repeat Tiger Wood’s performance at a Major. Kerr’s winning performance served as an eye opener for all the Doubting Thomases in the media along with powering her to the number one position.

One commentator even went to the extent of calling Tiger Wood’s 15 stroke victory at the Major as freakish and infallible, saying that the Pebble Beach performance could not be bested for millenniums. The commentator went on to say that her chances of winning the green jacket at next week’s event were greater than somebody besting Tiger Wood’s record.

However, just one week later, she was proved wrong and how. Cristie Kerr pulled a rabbit out of a hat at the Major winning by a margin of 15 strokes; beating the record set by Tiger Woods earlier. The unique feat earned her the No.1 position and the respect of her peers.

She called her victory special because she was able to emulate Tiger Wood’s performance at a Major. Before making this breakthrough, she felt that emulating the feat was impossible considering the quality of the competition in the LPGA tour. On her way to victory she had Tiger Wood’s victory margin at the back of her mind however she did not give it too much consideration.   According to her, repeating the feat would be tough act to follow; calling it a dream like performance.

On her way to the top, she posted scores of sixty eight, sixty six, sixty nine and sixty six, enabling her to record the largest winning margin in the history of LPGA Championship. En route to her victory, she narrowly missed besting Lousie Suggs 14-shot win set at the 1949 U.S Women’s Open.

Breaking down the week’s performance one can see how she was able to blitz her way past the competition; putting magnificently and hitting the greens at regular intervals. However, her best golf was reserved for the back nine, where she recorded a blistering 14-under four-day total.

Later on she admitted that she was in the form of her life and had learnt to keep her emotions in check; helping her game to ascend new heights in the tournament. The win propelled her to the number one position in the Rolex Ranking; fulfilling her goal to become the best in the business.

Ben Frost, 29, musician, composer and producer, is one of the three shortlisted for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.  The artist, born in Australia, came into prominence after the release of his album, Music for Sad Children in the year 2000. He is also known for his work with other Australian artists like David Bridie and the rock band Something for Kate.  His work draws its sustenance from several genres like minimalism, post-punk, black metal and noise. His command over several genres became evident in his 2007 masterpiece Theory of Machines.

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative nominee received a lot of praise for his creative masterpiece Music for Sand Children. Pitchfork Media described the experiment as an exemplary work of art. His critically acclaimed LP Theory of Machines also generated a lot of interest and stamped his authority on the global music scene. Boomkat described the album as one of the most interesting albums of its time.  Further acclaim was to follow from the reputed journal “The Wire Magazine” which described the music as an extraordinary piece of work.

Ben Frost has also collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Bjork, Nico Muhly, Amiina, and Ghostdigital and so on. The multitalented artist doffs several hats including that of a composer of film and contemporary dance. His collaborations with other artists like Chunky Move, the Icelandic Dance Company and Erna Omarsdottir has brought him widespread recognition in the artistic community.

The Rolex Mentor and Arts Initiative is a philanthropic program that aims to promote outstanding talent in the field of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, film and literature by pairing them with the masters of the trade.

The program invites applications from all around the world. These are sifted by an Advisory Board comprising of outstanding artists and distinguished personalities. The shortlisted are handed over to the Mentor who selects the most suitable protégé. Once selected the protégé remains under the tutelage of the mentor for six weeks. This incubation period is often increased by mutual agreement. The program is collaborative in nature and involves much sharing, learning and growing on the job. The mentor by virtue of his expertise over the craft is in position to teach the finer nuances of the trade, helping the protégé to learn more about the craft.

The type of interactions is left to the protégé and the mentor. Depending upon each other’s comfort level the interaction may involve collaborating on a project or getting access to see the master at work. Either way the protégé is able to learn the nuances of the trade from a master of the trade.

Jace Clayton, 34, American DJ and Producer, is one of the three shortlisted for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. This multitalented artist dons several hats including that of a radio show host, musician and an article writer.

Nicknamed as DJ/ Rupture, this New York based DJ and Producer started out as a drum and bass player in Boston in the late 90’s. His unique music style comprises of a mix of complicated sounds played out on three different turntables; one for vocals, the second for breakbeats and the third for ambient effects.

He first burst out in the music scene with his smash hit Gold Teeth Thief which hopped across several musical genres like hip hop, reggae, breakcore, jungle, noise to create a kaleidoscopic mix of sounds that was much appreciated by the critics and the fans alike. He met with greater success with his next album called Minesweeper Suite which was hailed as one of the top ten records in 2002.

Next year, he transcended even higher with the breakout of his critically album Special Gunpowder.  More recognition followed when he appeared on John Peel’s BBC and followed it with a live performance on the Breezeblock.

In the year 2008, the talented musician came out with his own label known as Dutty Artz in collaboration with Matt Shadetek. Jace Clayton has made a name commenting on the contemporary music scene with a wide following in the blogging world. He also freelances on a regular basis in publications like the Wire.

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative started out in the year 2002 to promote outstanding talent all around the world. The program brings mentors and protégé together for a period of six weeks in order to cultivate higher excellence in the fields or art and culture. This philosophy is attuned to the company philosophy; positioning Rolex Users as connoisseurs of culture and arts rather than mere consumers.

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative invite applications from all around the world for its protégé program. The applications are sifted by an advisory board comprising of renowned members of the arts community. The shortlisted candidates are then sent over to the Mentor who chooses his protégé.

The protégé enters into a symbiotic relationship with the mentor sharing, learning and collaborating. This helps them to understand the finer nuances of the craft; so essential for making an impression in the field of their choice.

Rolex takes care of the logistics and the travelling expenses; leaving the protégé and the mentor to concentrate on their craft.