St. Lazare Celebrates 35 Years

St. Lazare, Quebec – North America’s best show jumping riders will meet in St. Lazare, QC, for the 35th Annual Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows taking place from May 20 to 24 and May 27 to 31, 2009.

This year’s featured event is the $25,000 Grand Prix of St. Lazare on Saturday, May 30. Many top Canadian show jumping riders will be battling for victory including previous winners Laurie Bucci of Carignan, QC, Amy Millar of Perth, ON, Myra Simard of Montreal, QC, and St. Lazare’s own Angela Lawrence. Last year’s winner, Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill, is also expected to return to St. Lazare to defend her title.

Immediately following the $25,000 Grand Prix, the ‘Jump for Hope’ Breast Cancer Survivors Ride and Fourth Annual Black Tie and Blue Jeans Gala will be held to benefit the Cedar’s Breast Cancer Clinic. Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze will be the Honourary Co-Chair of this very special evening.

Other show jumping highlights include the Merial Hit and Hurry on Saturday, May 23, and the $10,000 Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Grand Prix on Sunday, May 24. The following weekend, on Sunday, May 31, the Val Wagner Memorial Speed Derby will thrill spectators by making use of the natural obstacles on the grass grand prix field. Course designers for this year’s event include Quebec native Pierre Jolicoeur and David Ballard, both FEI course designers.

“Footing is a primary consideration for competitors and we are very fortunate to have fantastic natural footing for our event,” said Mike Lawrence, President of Competition Eastwood Equine which manages the Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows. “We are committed to producing a high quality show jumping tournament and are constantly working to upgrade our event for the comfort, safety and well-being of all our exhibitors.”

The Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows will also host the first Canadian qualifying event in the U.S.-based City League International Team Series. A JustWorld Horseless Horse Show will also be held with children of all ages invited to participate.

The Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows run daily from May 20 to 24 and May 27 to 31 at Eastwood Equine, 4170 Chemin Ste. Angelique in St. Lazare. Admission is free.

For more information, please visit www.pepinierehorseshow.com.