WELLINGTON, Fla.--Two top level competitions, one concentrating on jumpers and the other on hunters, will be held at the Jacobs family's beautiful Deeridge Farms in Wellington, Fla.
In the first, the Palm Beach Masters on Feb. 1-4, Olympic and World Cup Champions will compete for almost $400,000.
An elite field of international competitors from 17 Countries are set to compete not only for the top prize money but also a shot at this year's FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Paris
A star-studded lineup of Olympic and FEI World Cup™ Champions have confirmed their entries for the third annual Palm Beach Masters CSI3*.
With more than 100 horses entered in the FEI division, 69 riders from 17 countries will compete on the pristine showgrounds of Deeridge Farms in Wellington.
The Palm Beach Masters features the $220,000 FEI World Cup Jumping Wellington, one of the final two East Coast qualifiers in the World Cup North American League.
Many of the elite entries will be competing in this featured event, seeking valuable points to qualify for the Final,
Heading the impressive list of U.S. entries is the reigning FEI World Cup champion, McLain Ward, who won the Final last April in Omaha on the superstar mare, HH Azur.
Ward, a two-time Olympic team gold medalist who also won the individual gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, was recently named the 2017 USEF Equestrian of the Year.
Joining Ward is his four-time Olympic teammate, Beezie Madden, who shares his 2004 and 2008 Olympic team gold and 2016 team silver medals and also has an individual bronze medal that she won in 2008.
SHE ALSO HAS won the FEI World Cup Final, having won in 2013.
Madden has been the USEF Equestrian of the Year four times – in 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2014.
Other U.S. Olympic veterans entered include team gold medalist Laura Kraut, who took second place in last year’s $216,000 FEI World Cup qualifier at the Masters, team gold and silver medalist Leslie Howard, Margie Engle and Lauren Hough.
Other top U.S. riders include Georgina Bloomberg, Katie Dinan, Quentin Judge, Marilyn Little, Peter Lutz, Christine McCrea, Todd Minikus, Michael Morrissey, Alison Robitaille (currently leading the FEI World Cup Jumping North American League standings), Callan Solem, Jessica Springsteen, Lauren Tisbo and Catherine Tyree.
Joining them will be a star-studded line-up from 16 other countries including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Peru and Switzerland.
Three-time Olympic veteran Ben Maher of Great Britain, who won a team gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, heads this list along with four former FEI World Cup champions – Beat Mandli of Switzerland, a two-time Olympian who won the Final in 2007; Ian Millar of Canada, the first rider to win back-to-back Finals (1988-1989) and who has competed in a record 10 Olympic Games; Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, a three-time Olympian who has won the Finals three times (2005, 2008, 2009) and Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, the former Olympic and World Champion who is the only rider to win the Final three consecutive years (1998, 1999, 2000).
IN ADDITION to the Palm Beach Masters CSI3*, the Palm Beach Masters Series also includes the Deeridge Derby, a USEF nationally-rated show where the nation’s most elegant hunter horses and ponies take center stage by invitation to compete in prestigious classes including the $5,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby, the $5,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur Hunter Derby, the $2,500 USHJA Pony Derby and the highly competitive $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby.
General Admission tickets ($20 per ticket) are now available through Eventbrite for the Deeridge Derby at www.palmbeachmasters.com/event/deeridge-derby/.
The Series also includes the new Palm Beach Open, March 22-25.
For spectators, the Taylor Harris VIP Club is the best way to see the action!
The two-story Taylor Harris VIP Club features incredible views of the jumping field, luxurious amenities and unrivaled hospitality.
Access to the Taylor Harris VIP Club includes a 6-person table located ringside for watching events while enjoying a world-class VIP dining experience, with breakfast and lunch included, each competition day.
Club members are invited to VIP events and receive tickets to all competitions along with preferred parking.
Tables sell out quickly, so make sure you reserve your table now! Click here for reservations: https://palmbeachmasters.com/vip-club/.
General admission tickets ($20 per ticket) are now available through Eventbrite for the Palm Beach Masters at https://palmbeachmasters.com/event/palm-beach-masters/ and for the Deeridge Derby at https://palmbeachmasters.com/event/deeridge-derby/.