Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix Shaping Up

The line-up for Sunday’s Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix is shaping up as an exciting and highly competitive beginning to the Eastern Canada Division of the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series.  National and International riders, plus the very talented up-and-coming riders looking to make their mark in the Grand Prix ring will be looking for a share of the $65,000 prize money.  Riders from Central and Eastern Canada will also be looking to accumulate points leading to the  Kubota Eastern Canada Championship which will be determined in Halifax in October. 

Canadian Olympic rider Ian Millar of Perth, ON and Allison Moore of Stittsville, ON will be competing in the $65,000 Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix. Photo © Yavuz

Sunday’s Grand Prix, which goes at 3:00pm at Nepean National Equestrian Park, will feature Canadian Olympic riders Ian Millar, John Pearce and Jay Hayes and Canadian Team riders Karen Cudmore, Ainsley Vince, Chris Pratt and Eric Lamaze.  Local talent includes Karen Matthews, Alison Moore and Kelly Small.  American Chris Kappler, a double Silver Medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games,  Belgian Eric Flameng and Yann Candele of France are part of the International contingent.  The course will be set by international course designer Danny Foster of Milton, ON, who says he will be setting a strong and challenging track with a high standard suitable to the importance of Sunday’s Grand Prix.  “We expect a large contingent, so it is important that the course I set results in the best horse and rider on that day coming out on top,” he says.

At an introductory Kubota Cup event Thursday “Captain Canada” Ian Millar, spokesman for the Series, and Alison Moore of Stittsville, ON, spoke about the importance of sponsorship for the sport for both the veteran riders and the novices.  Moore, who is one of Canada’s promising new entrants in the Grand Prix ring, thanked Kubota Canada for its contribution to helping developing young riders such as herself.  Millar also lauded the company’s quality of both its product and its people.  “The Kubota product is a great product and exactly what we need for our farms and facilities,” he said.  “But what is just as important is the Kubota people, who are absolutely the finest.”  Kubota National Marketing Manager John Gilliland expressed the company’s pleasure at being in Ottawa to begin the trek towards the  Eastern Canada Division Championship.

Kubota Canada Ltd. has made a multi-year commitment to the Canadian Show Jumping Series, which is the subject of a 13-part television series that will air on the Global national television network beginning in September.  The production crew from Generator Productions is filming segments at each of the shows that span the country from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast.  The top five riders from both the Western Canada Division and the Eastern Canada Division will meet at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto November 5 where a Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series National Champion will be crowned. 

Visit the Kubota Cup website at www.kubotacup.ca