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KUBOTA CUP - Calgary’s Jonathan Asselin Wins

the 2008 Canadian Show Jumping Series

April 5, 2008

Brandon, MB --- Before a cheering, capacity crowd of 5,000 spectators, Calgary’s Jonathan Asselin and his speedy mare Lolita became the first winners of the 2008 Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. It was a thrilling ride in a jump-off against four other horse/rider combinations but the veteran Asselin was in the driver’s seat going last. His double clear with a blistering jump-off time of 35.486, nearly 4 seconds ahead of second place, made him the clear winner, taking home first place money in the $35,000 Kubota Cup event.

The field of 23 Canadian riders challenged Anthony D’Ambrosio’s course, that started out asking for an open, flowing pace then mid-way changed to tight and twisting, ending with a tricky liverpool to a rollback to a big oxer-vertical combination finish that caught a number of riders and horses.

Although Asselin and Lolita may have been favoured to win, the entries included other experienced riders such as Gary Brewster from West Vancouver, B.C. and Mike Grinyer from Campbellville, Ontario. But the bigger story was the group of four ‘next generation’ young women riders who rode clear to get into the jump-off. Second place and the only other double clear round went to Lindsay Hitchner, from High River, Alberta and her mare Billy Autumn. Carla Diewert, from Calgary, Alberta and her horse Concorde took third place. Rounding out the top five were the two rookies to the Kubota Cup Grand Prix Series, Heather MacInnis from Burlington, Ontario with her big mare Celebrity and 19-year-old Femke Van Den Bosch of Red Deer, Alberta and her 8-year-old gelding Tom Tom.

“We’ve come to expect top-notch competition and great spectator entertainment over the past three years in the Kubota Cup series,” commented John Gilliland, National Marketing Manager, Kubota Canada Ltd, title sponsor of the national Grand Prix tour. “This inaugural 2008 Kubota Cup qualifier met and exceeded all our expectations. The Manitoba fans are really enthusiastic and the riders and horses all thrive in that atmosphere. We all appreciate the calibre of athletes that come to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair from across Canada for this event every year and we are thrilled to be able to showcase Canada’s next generation of show jumping athletes.”

The Kubota Cup Grand Prix in Brandon is the first of three Kubota Cup qualifiers to be held in Western Canada. Still to come is the Edmonton Northlands Horse Show May 31st followed by Richmond, B.C’s Twin Oaks Derby Show. The three Kubota Cup qualifiers in Eastern Canada are set for Bromont, Q.C. July 19; Ottawa’s Kubota National Tournament August 16 and Halifax’s Maritime Fall Fair, October 18. Points are accumulated towards the title of Eastern and Western Division champions. The top 20 riders are invited to the Kubota Cup National Finals hosted at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto in November. The $35,000 in prize monies available at each of the six Kubota Cup qualifiers, prize of a Kubota

RTV500 utility vehicle ($9500 value) going to both the Eastern and Western conference champions, $100,000 up for grabs at the national championship plus a Kubota RTV 1100 ($19,500 value) and other great sponsor prizes, together create an attractive award package for those prepared to take a run at the Series.

To help support and develop the sport of show jumping in Canada, the organizers of the Kubota Cup Series announced, while in Brandon, the introduction of the innovative Kubota Sport Incentive Fund which will pay the entry fee for up to two horses for eligible Canadian riders at each of the 2008 Kubota Cup events.

“We see this new Sport Incentive Fund as a building block that recognizes the investments of owners of developing high performance Grand Prix horses and promotes the talents of Canada’s equestrian athletes,” stated John Gilliland. “We have watched three years of Kubota Cup competitors grow their careers through this series. The visibility they have received has given them a chance to get noticed, helped them gain customers and sponsors...now we’re taking another step in helping them achieve success.”

Other official sponsors for the Kubota Cup Series include Animal ID Solutions, a new computerized ID system designed to streamline and enhance communications at Canadian horse shows, Softstall therapeutic bedding systems for horses and Game Ready Equine sports therapy systems. Additional sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is one of the largest agriculture shows in Canada, combining agriculture, equestrian events, livestock and world-class entertainment in a family-oriented experience. Over 118,000 people attended the Fair this year at Brandon’s Keystone Centre. The Kubota Cup Grand Prix Saturday, April 5th was the finale for equestrian competition at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

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