MBNA Foxhall Cup to Start Final Round of World Equestrian Games Eventing Selection Trials

Atlanta, GA—March 4, 2002—The MBNA Foxhall Cup CCI***, April 18-21 in Atlanta, GA, will be the first of the final five United States Equestrian Team selection trials for the U.S. eventing team for the 2002 World Equestrian Games (WEG). The eventing World Championships will take place as part of the World Equestrian Games that are scheduled to take place September 11-22 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

The World Equestrian Games are held every four years and are, other than the Olympics, the world’s most important equestrian event. This year, for the first time, seven world championships will be decided at the World Equestrian Games: eventing, dressage, show-jumping, endurance, driving, vaulting and for the first time ever, reining.

Following six selection trials held in 2001, the MBNA Foxhall Cup is the first of five eventing selection trials to be held this spring. It will be followed by the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bayer, April 25-28 in Lexington, KY; the Badminton CCI**** in England, May 2-5; the Punchestown CCI*** in Ireland, May 16-19; and the Bramham CCI*** in England, June 6-9.

“It is indeed an honor to again host a USET selection trial at the MBNA Foxhall Cup,” said Foxhall Cup Chairman Jim Richards. “We have a cherished tradition of working with the USET including hosting a selection trial for our highly-successful Sydney Olympic team in 2000. Hopefully, our results at the World Equestrian Games this year will be equally impressive.”

Within 21 days after the conclusion of Punchestown, the USET will name a short list of at least six horse-and-rider combinations. It will have an option of adding to that list after the competition at Bramham.

All horse-and-rider combinations on the Short List will be required to compete at one or more Mandatory Outings and/or Training Sessions before the final squad for WEG is named.

The USET Eventing Selectors are: 1984 Olympic team Gold and individual Silver Medalist Karen Stives, Chairman; 1980 U.S. Olympian Washington Bishop; event organizer and competitor Anne Getchell; 1994 WEG veteran Jim Graham; and Peter Green, a veteran of the 1982 Eventing World Championships.

The first World Equestrian Games were held in 1990, when at Stockholm (Sweden), the International Equestrian Federation for the first time hosted the World Championships from each discipline at a single location. These first World Equestrian Games proved to be an event of great prestige, a total success with regard to organization, attendance, interest and worldwide response. Four years later in 1994, The Hague (Holland) played host to the second edition of the Games. The third World Equestrian Games took place in Rome in 1998.

The USET has made quite an impact in eventing at past World Equestrian Games. In 1990 Bruce Davidson won the individual Bronze Medal; in 1994 Dorothy Trapp won individual Silver Medal; and in 1998, Bruce Davidson, Karen and David O’Connor, and Kerry Millikin took home the team Bronze Medal.

The eventing competition for this year’s World Equestrian Games is scheduled for September 12-15. Following is a detailed schedule:

Thursday, September 12 – Dressage First Phase

Friday, September 13 – Dressage Second Phase

Saturday, September 14 – Cross Country Phase

Sunday, September 15 – Jumping Phase

For those who can’t make it to Jerez in September to see the World Equestrian Games, the MBNA Foxhall Cup is the perfect place to see this country’s top riders competing for the right to be on the team!

The MBNA Foxhall Cup Three-Day Event is designated the National Championship of Eventing and is one of only two three-star level eventing competitions in the nation. Prize money is $100,000.

Foxhall will also host a Grand Prix freestyle dressage competition with a $20,000 cash prize.

To add to the exhilarating spectacle of the MBNA Foxhall Cup, Foxhall Events, LLC is presenting the inaugural Foxhall Flower Show presented by Home Depot, modeled after the breathtaking Chelsea Gardens Flower Show in London. Participants in the Foxhall Flower Show can compete within a variety of categories to display gardening talents. The total prize money for the Flower Show is $100,000.

About MBNA Foxhall Cup
Established in 2000 by Jim Richards, the MBNA Foxhall Cup is held in Douglas County, Georgia every spring. The three-star level eventing competition featuring dressage, cross-country and show jumping is designated as the National Championship of Eventing and serves as the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Three-Star Spring Championship. The MBNA Foxhall Cup donates a portion of its profits to Shepherd Center, an Atlanta-based catastrophic care hospital that treats individuals with acquired brain and spinal cord injuries. For more information, please visit www.foxhallcup.com

About the Foxhall Flower Show
The inaugural Foxhall Flower Show will be held in Douglas County, Georgia, April 18-21, 2002, at Foxhall Farms. Based on the spirit, tradition and elegance of outdoor European flower shows, the growing event will be the largest open-air flower show in the eastern United States and offers over $100,000 in prizes. Proceeds will benefit The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.foxhallflowershow.com.