Miami, FL – February 10, 2014 – One of the longest running and most prestigious of all American show jumping events, the American Invitational, a Tampa fixture for over forty years, is moving from the West coast of Florida to Sun Life Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, in Miami on the East coast. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2014.
As has been the tradition over the years, the dream of show jumping visionary Gene Mische, the legendary founder of Stadium Jumping, Inc. will be realized once again as exhibitors will be rewarded with huge prize money, but no entry fee.
An invitation will be extended to 2013 American Invitational champion, McLain Ward. Four invitations will be issued at the Organizing Committee’s & FEI’s discretion and fifteen invitations will be issued to the riders who have accumulated the most money won from various qualifying classes, Those classes and the standings are posted on www.StadiumJumping.com. Additionally, ten or all remaining invitations will be issued to riders based on their standing from Rolex/USEF Ranking List (expanded to include foreign riders) as of Friday, March 28, 2014.
Gustavo Mirabal and G & C Farms, long time supporters of the American Invitational, have returned as the presenting sponsor of this revered event. “It is a great idea to move the Invitational to Miami,” said Mirabal. “I have always thought, since the first Invitational that I sponsored, that it would be a great move to bring the event to South Florida so we can get more people to the stadium and so we can better promote our sport.”
“After forty great years in Tampa, we are thrilled to be moving to Florida’s East coast,” said Michael Morrissey, President of Stadium Jumping, Inc., the organizers of the American Invitational. “South Florida is really the hotbed of show jumping in America at this time of year, so moving the Invitational closer to the action is something all of us are very excited about. But, I can’t thank all of the folks at the Tampa venue enough for all of their great support over the past forty plus years.”
Miami’s Sun Life Stadium will provide the perfect new venue and backdrop for one of America’s great show jumping classics. “We are pleased to add another world-class event to our calendar of great events at Sun Life Stadium. The American Invitational is the premier show jumping event in the U.S. so it’s a perfect fit,” said Todd Boyan, Sr. Vice President of Operations for Sun Life Stadium.
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Morrissey continued, “I really want to commend and thank Gustavo Mirabal for his continued support. G & C Farms’ commitment to improving the sport of show jumping in America is unwavering. They have long realized the importance of the American Invitational and have stepped up for us each year.”
Mirabal added, “For me it is the most important classic in America. I grew up hearing about the American Invitational. It is a very special class. For the ones that love this sport, we have to support this kind of class. Is an American classic !”
Defending champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward, said of the move to Sun Life Stadium, “Miami is going to be a great home for this event. It seems like the right move at the right time and it matches how the horse world has evolved. While I’m going to miss the few days in Tampa, I think the move to Miami is a good one and I hope the event is successful for many years to come.”
The prize list for the American Invitational can be found here.
http://www.stadiumjumping.com/#!athlete-information/cr6r
