Calgary, Alberta, Canada – July 18, 2011 – G&C Farm would like to congratulate Mario Deslauriers on his win in the G&C Farm Rider’s Cup at Spruce Meadows. Deslauriers won the G&C Farm Rider’s Cup through his great performances in the FEI events held during the four weeks of summer competition at Spruce Meadows. G&C Farm is based in Wellington, FL, and owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of Venezuela.
G&C Farm created the $50,000 G&C Farm Rider Cup last year to honor the top FEI level show jumpers during the summer series at Spruce Meadows. The award is calculated through accumulated points given to riders who compete in eligible competitions at the 1.50m and 1.60m divisions during the Summer Series. Athletes accruing the most G&C Farm Riders’ Cup Series Points at the “National”, “Continental”, “Canada One”, and “North American” Tournaments were awarded the 2011 Championship Bonus on the final day of the “North American” Tournament.
For his win, Deslauriers received $25,000, while Richard Spooner finished second for a $15,000 bonus. Eric Lamaze finished third and took home a $10,000 bonus.
Mario Deslauriers, shown here on Vicomte D, in his victory gallop after winning the G&C Farm Rider’s Cup
“I’d like to thank Gustavo and Carolina for their generosity and doing this for the riders,” Deslauriers said. “I was lucky enough, and I’ve got a nice group of horses. It’s great in that company to be so consistent for four weeks. The horses all went well. It’s a great award to win.”
Gustavo Mirabal expressed, “It gives us immense pleasure to know that Mario won the G&C Farm Riders Cup at Spruce Meadows this year. We offer him, along with Richard Spooner and Eric Lamaze for their second and third place finishes, a hearty congratulations! As sponsors of this Cup we are very proud to see that such extraordinary talent is recognized through this award that was specially created to promote the talent and success of riders that make this amazing sport such an exciting and competitive one to watch.”
Deslauriers piloted such successful horses as Urico, Vicomte D, Cella, Whistler, and Diablo. “They all went great. Every time they went in the ring they won a prize and were often in the top five,” he noted.
Deslauriers was pleased that the award was given to consistency over the four weeks of shows. He said with a smile, “I think it’s something that all of the riders get into. Over a month like this, you really have to be consistent. It’s a fun thing. In the first two or three weeks, you don’t pay too much attention but in the last week with Richard Spooner, Eric Lamaze, McLain Ward, we were all talking about which horses we were showing in each class, and it gets competitive!”
Mirabal added, “I was very sorry that I was unable to attend the award ceremony in Spruce Meadows due to a business trip. We at G&C Farm would like to thank Spruce Meadows for their support in hosting this award at their stunning horse shows. We are proud to be a part of their world-class competitions.”
G&C Farm and rider Pablo Barrios competed at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany, and will move on this week to the Global Champions Tour in Chantilly, France.
Please visit www.farmgc.com for more information on G&C Farm, their riders, and their horses. You can also find out more by visiting the G&C Farm page on Facebook or follow G&C Farm on Twitter.
G&C Farm brings exceptional horses and top Venezuelan jumper riders to the highest levels of competition. Their state-of-the-art, full-service facility is located in Wellington, FL.
The vision of G&C Farm is to improve the instruction and training of their top jumper riders and horses in order to seek a place on the Venezuelan team for all high level tournaments and top competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. G&C Farm sponsors top grand prix rider Pablo Barrios of Venezuela, as well as other up and coming riders. The technical advisor at G&C Farm is Olympic Games course designer Leopoldo Palacios.
For more information on G&C Farm, please visit www.farmgc.com.
Photo Credit: Mario Deslauriers won the G&C Farm Rider’s Cup at Spruce Meadows. Photo courtesy of Spruce Meadows Media Services. These photos may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit.