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Show
Jumping - Launch Of 20,000 Euro National Grand Prix League
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AT
a press reception at Kildare Paddocks, Co. Kildare, the Show Jumping
Association of Ireland (SJAI) today (Thursday April 8) formally
announced the launch of the 2004 Outdoor Grand Prix League, sponsored
by IJM TimberFrame of Monaghan.
Among
those present were David Hart, Area Sales Manager for IJM TimberFrame;
Charles Hanley, Chairman of the SJAI; Cian O'Connor, member of the
2004 Irish Olympic show jumping squad; and Sarah Jane Tracey, national
rider.
With
a total prize fund of 20,000 euro and a top prize of 8,000 euro
going to the outright winner, the annual league attracts the country's
best riders and horses, and creates a premium level of competition
and excitement.
Last
year's winner and defending champion, 34 yr old Peter Smyth from
Strabane in Co. Tyrone, will once again line out with his remarkable
mare <Zara's Pride>, the former trotter who went on to become
the country's national Grand Prix champion.
Peter
said today: <<The League was very good for me, as it was my
first crack at it, and I started as an underdog. Hopefully, last
year's win has now put me on the road to international competition,
but I will be doing my utmost to take the title again in 2004.>>
Beginning
in Coilog, Co. Kildare, on April 18, the IJM TimberFrame Grand Prix
League will run in a total of 36 venues throughout Ireland, before
its grand finale in September.
A
change in the rules for 2004 will mean that only a rider's best
15 League rounds will be used to calculate a points total at the
end of the season. If a rider competes in more than 15 rounds, the
rounds with the least points gained will not be used in calculating
the final score.
Speaking
of the new sponsors, SJAI Chairman Charles Hanley said <<We
are delighted to have a quality product like IJM TimberFrame come
on board to support our Grand Prix League and the fact that they
were involved in previous years with James Kernan and IJM Touchdown
is a bonus, as they know our sport.>>
Chairman
of the SJAI's International Affairs Committee, Peter Leonard, said:
<<The Grand Prix League is very important to the Irish selectors
when looking for potential international riders. Well-known names
like Francis Connors. Robert Splaine, Clem McMahon, Conor Swail,
and even World Champion Dermott Lennon first came to prominence
in the national Grand Prix Leagues.>>
<<It
should also be remembered that the riders holding the highest three
placings at the end of the outdoor league automatically qualify
for international classes at the Dublin Horse Show,>> he added.IJM
TimberFrame is based just outside Monaghan, and is the longest-established
timber frame company in Ireland, offering a
one-stop shop for people building a new home. The company is one
of Europe's largest timber frame manufacturers, with exports to
Germany, France, the UK and Saudi Arabia.
http://www.horsesport.ie
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