By Joe Biesk
The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - Kentucky will try to snag the 2010 World Equestrian Games away from Europe for the first time since the competition's inception, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said Thursday.

State officials are working with the federation to put together a final bid proposal in hopes of hosting the horse competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Fletcher said.

Part of Kentucky's proposal is based on plans to build an approximately 300-room hotel, and a $30 million indoor equestrian arena at the horse park, he said.

"We will do whatever we need to do to make sure that we fulfill our part to make this the most attractive place in the world," Fletcher said.

This would be Kentucky's second attempt to host the event, after losing a try for the 2006 games to Aachen, Germany.

World championships for seven equestrian sports take place during the approximately two-week competition, which are being planned for September 2010. They include championships for eventing, show jumping, dressage, driving, endurance riding, vaulting and reining, according to a statement.

The games started in 1990, and are held every four years.

Kentucky was selected as the top choice by the U.S. Equestrian Federation to be the country's bid for the games, said John Long, the federation's CEO. There are about six equestrian facilities nationwide, but Kentucky is the only place in the country where all the events can be held, Long said.

"There's not a better venue for equestrian sports in the United States than where we're standing today ...," Long said. "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to be able to pull this off."

Hosting the games could generate as much as $90 million for the state's economy and attract hundreds of thousands of people to Kentucky, Fletcher said.

The Horse Park opened in 1978 and is currently the headquarters for 21 horse-related organizations.

Since Kentucky lost its previous bid to host the games, the park has been upgraded, Kentucky Commerce Secretary Jim Host said.

"I think that we took the four-years-old bid and learned from it in order to make sure that this time around we do make the proper bid and that we are successful," Host said.

Kentucky is expecting competition from Normandy, France; Melbourne, Australia; and the United Arab Emirates. The decision is up to the International Equestrian Federation, which is expected to make its decision by fall 2005.

France is currently building a new horse facility near Normandy and likely poses Kentucky's stiffest competition, Long said.

"They want it as bad as we do," he said.

To make it more attractive, state officials plan to formally ask for bids on a new commercially owned hotel by close of business on Friday, Fletcher said. They are also planning an indoor arena, which could cost about $30 million, the governor said.

"Simply being chosen as the state to represent the United States in the bidding process is an honor in and of itself," Fletcher said. "But to actually be chosen to host this first-rate equestrian event would be historic."