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First 2006 Kubota Cup Grand Prix Winner

‘Smart Thinking’ and a 21 year old rookie show the pros how its done in the $35,000 Kubota Cup Grand Prix at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair

April 1, 2006

Emily George and Smart Thinking on their way to a double clear Photo Credit: Yavuz Photography
Emily George and Smart Thinking on their way to a double clear
Photo Credit: Yavuz Photography

Brandon, MB --- Some of the best riders in Western Canada tackled Leopoldo Palacios’ difficult course during the Kubota Cup Grand Prix at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon. One after another they succumbed to its technical challenges.

A capacity crowd filled the stands in the main arena of the Keystone Centre for the first Kubota Cup Grand Prix in the 2006 Series. Eleven competitors, including last year’s winner Michael Grinyer and Alcatraz, Olympian Jonathan Asselin and Lolita, and veteran Karen Cudmore and Granus, tackled the course before British Columbia’s Gary Brewster and Royal Viali posted the first clear round. One by one they bowed to the tight 66 second time allowed and the twisting route through the maximum height verticals, wide oxers and tricky jump placements created by Palacios.

In only her second Grand Prix, 21-year-old Emily George from Calgary, Alberta, and her Irish Warmblood horse, Smart Thinking, rode the course brilliantly, carefully answering each question posed by the course. They went clear and became the second pair to qualify for the jump-off.

Gary Brewster and his third ride of the evening, Hurricane, also posted a clear round as did Karen Cudmore on her third ride, Ocelot, sending a total of four, out of a field of twenty-four horses, to the jump off.

Brewster and Royal Viali were the first to come back amassing 12 faults in a time of 39.105, well under the time allowed of 42 seconds. Good enough for third place.

George and Smart Thinking returned and negotiated the jump-off course carefully, but clear, in 40.502 seconds.

Brewster and Hurricane had a good run until an inside turn to the fourth jump, a wide oxer, resulted in a fall and elimination from the jump-off, dropping them to fourth place overall.

Making a run for the win, Cudmore and Ocelot had the fastest time of 38.896 seconds but took out two jumps, ending up with eight faults, leaving them in second place.

Representing the Title Sponsor, John Gilliland, National Marketing Manager for Kubota Canada Ltd., presented the gold medal to George and Smart Thinking and said, “Thank you for a thrilling spectacle. You are a rising star in show jumping and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the next Kubota Cup Grand Prix in Edmonton.”

An ecstatic George said, “My horse was fantastic! I’ve had Smarty for about a year and a half and the more I challenge him, the better he gets. This win was totally unexpected. I knew it was a tough course. I was looking to be conservative. I knew my horse could do it so I was looking to give him the best ride I could.” The strategy paid off. George pocketed $8,750 for the win, and, as the winner of the Grand Prix, she is taking home a complete SoftStall™ therapeutic bedding system for her horse, Smarty, worth $675, and she starts the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series with 180 points toward the Western Division Championship.

The Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series kicked off its 2006 season during the 99th annual Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, produced by the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, at Brandon.

At the Eastern and Western Division Championships, each Champion will also receive tack (horse equipment) from CWD Saddles valued at approximately $2,250 CDN. The runner-up in each Division will receive tack valued at $1,500 CDN. The winner of the National Finals in Toronto in November will receive a custom made saddle and other tack from CWD Saddles valued at $7,500 CDN.

(See Bottom For Results)

In 2005 an amazing new Grand Prix Show Jumping Tournament was launched in Canada – the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series. It was an unparalleled success encompassing 7 member horse shows representing both Eastern and Western Divisions, culminating in a National Finals competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario.

Kubota Canada Ltd. is the Title Sponsor of the Series. Their support for the sport of Show Jumping in Canada has been instrumental in the incredible growth of the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series, now in its second year. In addition to providing the prize money for the Kubota Cup Grand Prixs at each member show, Kubota Canada Ltd. will give each of the Eastern and Western Division Champions a new Kubota RTV900 utility vehicle and a magnificent crystal cup.

At each of the member shows in the Series, Kubota supplies all of the tractors and equipment needed to maintain the show arenas and to move equipment and people around the grounds. Kubota is also sponsoring the production of the Along For The Ride 13-part television series, directed by award-winning John Dolin, which tells the behind-the-scenes stories of 39 of the participating riders from rookies in their first season of Grand Prix competition to Olympic veterans of the sport. Last season, Along For The Ride brought the story of show jumping in Canada and the passions of the participants into over 100,000 homes for each episode. Fans are eagerly anticipating the second season.

KUBOTA CANADA LTD. (www.kubota.ca ) is the leading distributor of compact diesel tractors and construction equipment in Canada through its network of 150 retail outlets. Headquartered in Markham, ON, the company is celebrating over 30 years of providing Canadians with “Powerful Solutions For A Compact World.” The company’s interest in Canadian sports led it to sign the multi-year commitment, underlining its commitment to and promotion of Canadian athletes and participating events.

The 2006 Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series includes the Kubota Cup Grand Prix class at each of the following shows:

· The Royal Manibota Winter Fair, Brandon, MB, April 1

· The Edmonton Northlands Horse Show, AB, June 3

· The Kubota Capital Classic Show Jumping Tournament, Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix, Ottawa, ON July 16

· The Kubota Bromont International Horse Show presenting the Kubota Cup Grand Prix, Bromont, QC, July 29

· The Twin Oaks Derby presenting the Kubota Cup Jumping Derby and Western Division Championship Presentation, Richmond, BC, August 13

· The Kubota Collingwood Classic, presenting the Kubota Cup Grand Prix, Collingwood, ON, August 20

· The Maritime Fall Fair presenting the Kubota Cup Grand Prix and Eastern Division Championship Presentation, Halifax, NS, October 14

· The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair presenting the Kubota Cup National Finals, Toronto, ON, November 4

TOP 10 RESULTS:

Horse / Owner	Rider	Placing	Faults / Jump Off / Time	Prize Money / Kubota Cup Points
Smart Thinking / Emily George	Emily George	1	0 / 0	$8,750 / 180 
Ocelot / Blair Cudmore, Heartland Farms	Karen Cudmore	2	0 / 8 / 38.896	$6,300 / 170
Royal Viali / Ashley Cavanaugh	Gary Brewster	3	0 / 12 / 39.105	$5,250 / 165
Hurricane / Suzanne Brewster	Gary Brewster	4	0 / E	$3,850 / 160
Lucas / Tamie Phillips	Tamie Phillips	5	4 / 60.186	$2,800 / 155
Starlet / Merle Gardner	Tamie Phillips	6	4 / 60.444	$2,450 / 150
Alcatraz / Michael Grinyer	Michael Grinyer	7	4 / 62.674	$2,100 / 0*
Rosita Fly / Attaché Stables	Jonathan Asselin	8	6 / 71.463	$1,400 / 148
Lolita / Attaché Stables	Jonathan Asselin	9	8 / 62.811	$1,050 / 142
Royal Beach / Caledonia Stables	Allen Kruger	10		$1,050 / 138
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY	$35,000

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