Budweiser Has Long And Cherished History
As A Show Jumping Sponsor
TAMPA,
FL March 29, 2004 Budweiser, the worlds best-selling
beer, and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., have supported
show jumping in the United States for more than 50 years. Its support
of the sport today is multi-faceted and varied, and centers on its
title sponsorship of the nations premier show jumping event,
the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational.
The
2004 Budweiser American Invitational presented by Publix and The
Tampa Tribune, the culmination of the 10-week Winter Equestrian
Festival, returns to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday
evening, April 3. The top 30 riders who qualified over the 10 weeks
of the Winter Equestrian Festival will compete for show jumpings
biggest honor.
Anheuser-Buschs
involvement with show jumping began in 1951, when former Anheuser-Busch
president, the late August A. Busch, Jr., purchased the horse Circus
Rose and renamed her Miss Budweiser. Busch then loaned Miss Budweiser
to the United States Equestrian Team (USET) for the 1952 Olympic
Games in Helsinki, becoming the first person in corporate America
to make such a donation.
With
Arthur McCashin riding, Miss Budweiser helped the United States
win the team bronze medal at Helsinki. For his lifelong commitment
to the sport, Busch was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame
in 1988. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located at Anheuser-Buschs
Busch Gardens Adventure Park in Tampa.
In
1967, Budweiser sponsored the first Grand Prix show jumping event
in the United States, and five years later, helped establish the
countrys premier Grand Prix the Budweiser American
Invitational. The King of Beers has been a major supporter
of the American Grand Prix Associations Series of Show Jumping
since 1979. Also, Budweiser has announced a new sponsorship in 2004,
the $60,000 Tri-Budweiser Challenge which will award $60,000 to
the horse that wins all three of the following events: the $75,000
Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon, the $100,000 Budweiser Upperville
Jumper Classic, and the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid.
Budweisers
commitment to horses is most visible through the world famous Budweiser
Clydesdales. The Clydesdales have been ambassadors of Anheuser-Busch
since 1933, when August A. Busch Jr. presented a hitch of the horses
to his father to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition. A short
time later, the hitch was used to deliver one of the first cases
of post-Prohibition Budweiser to U.S. President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt at The White House in Washington, DC. Since then, the
Clydesdales have become as synonymous with Budweiser and Anheuser-Buschs
rich brewing tradition as Budweiser has become with the American
Invitational and the sport of show jumping.
2004
WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Show
days for the 2004 Winter Equestrian Festival in Tampa, FL, are Wednesday
through Saturday, March 30-April 3. Gates open at 8:00am and action
continues through late afternoon. The Bob Thomas Equestrian Center
is located off Orient Road at the Tampa Fairgrounds. Admission and
parking are free. For additional information, visit www.stadiumjumping.com.
AMERICAN
INVITATIONAL
For
ticket information for the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational
Presented by Publix and The Tampa Tribune, visit www.TicketMaster.com
or call (813) 253-2782 or Toll-Free (877) 909-9436. Ticket prices
range from $20 to $70 for reserved seating at the Raymond James
Stadium. Gates open at 5:00 pm.
2004
WEF SCHEDULE OF COMPETITIONS
March
30 - April 3 Tournament of Champions CSI-W (Bob Thomas Equestrian
Center)
April
3 Budweiser American Invitational (Raymond James Stadium)
WEF
2004 MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIX SERIES
April
3 $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational,
Presented by Publix and The Tampa Tribune
CHARLOTTE
JUMPER CLASSIC CSI****
Charlotte
Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
April
9 -11 Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI****
April
11 $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcat Cup
.
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