Royal Horse Show Welcomes the Cream of the Crop

This November, world-class show jumping will once again take centre stage at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show, part of the 87th Annual Royal Agricultural Winter Fair running November 6th through 15th at Exhibition Place.

Opening weekend at The Royal Horse Show is reserved for the Canadians, with two nights of the $100,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championships Presented by Greenhawk setting the bar leading into the following week’s International division. Highlights of International week include the $100,000 CN FEI World Cup QualifierTM, the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open, the inaugural $50,000 Royal Team Challenge and the $75,000 Ricoh Big Ben International Challenge which has already sold-out.

“We are tremendously pleased to once again welcome some of the world’s best riders and horses to The Royal Horse Show,” stated John Dunlap, Chairman of the show. “We put on the show, but it’s the sponsors, competitors, owners and support people who underscore the calibre of our event. The fact that we attract the world’s top riders, including Olympians from Britain, Europe and North America who go out of their way to return to The Royal each November, speaks volumes.”

Once again the field of competitors reads like a “who’s who” of international show jumping, including a raft of past and current Olympians. Leading the Canadian charge are 2008 Olympic team Silver medalists Ian Millar and Jill Henselwood and the 2008 Canadian Champion Keean White. Americans include Athens and Beijing Gold medal teammates McLain Ward and Laura Kraut, as well as Todd Minikus who just kicked off the indoor season with a win in the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix in Washington this weekend. The International division welcomes a new name in Russian Olympian Ljubov Kochetova, while hosting a few veterans in Britons Nick Skelton, Michael Whitaker and Robert Smith.

This year’s Royal Horse Show runs November 6th through 15th, 2009. By the time the competition ends, nearly $750,000 will have been awarded in prize money, making The Royal one of the most prestigious and hotly contested events of the season. For more information, media accreditation, live webcasting, complete schedule, results and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.