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The list of previous winners of this equestrian classic reads like a veritable who's who of the best show jumping horse and rider combinations in American history. Over the course of the forty-two year history of the American Gold Cup, eleven United States Olympians, six of them Gold Medalists, along with a Pan American Games Gold Medalist and six World Cup Champions have captured the top prize. This year's show is scheduled for September 12th through the 16th, 2012, with the $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W, a FEI World Cup Qualifying Competition, as the highlight event on the final Sunday. During its formative years, the class was dominated by two American Show Jumping legends, Rodney Jenkins and Michael Matz. In fact, Jenkins and Matz led the victory gallop seven times in the first ten years the American Gold Cup was held.
When Jenkins and Matz weren't winning during those early years, Melanie Smith-Taylor certainly was, taking the top prize three times, in 1976 and again in 1981 and 1982. While Jenkins was guiding Balbuco, The Natural and the legendary Idle Dice to victory, Matz was winning with Jet Run and Grande. Smith-Taylor won initially with Radnor II and then went back to back with her Olympic partner Calypso. Smith Taylor's Los Angeles Gold Medal Olympic teammates Leslie Howard, Conrad Homfeld and Joe Fargis have all posted American Gold Cup victories as well. Homfeld won the inaugural American Gold Cup in Cleveland in 1970 with Act I and returned 14 years later to win with Coastline. Fargis topped the charts in 1987 with Mill Pearl, while Leslie Howard galloped away with the win in 1983 with Albany. The 1996 Silver Medal Atlanta Olympic team is well represented with American Gold Cup wins for Matz and Howard, along with Peter Leone and Anne Kursinski. Leone captured the 1988 event with Threes and Sevens and Kursinski dominated the early 90's with four wins in six years on four different horses. After winning with Starman in 1990, she posted back to back to back wins with Top Seed, Eros and Dynamite respectively.
Chris Kappler, a team Gold medalist from the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, posted the first of his three wins in 1996 with Seven Wonder and then went back to back in 2002 and 2003 with his Olympic partner Royal Kaliber.
Although Olympians have dominated the American Gold Cup over the years, there have been plenty of other top riders adding their name to the famed trophy. Those include Kimberly Prince, a two-time winner with Bergerac in 2001 and again with Marlou in 2004. Patty Stovel led the round of honor in 2005 with Shandor 41, while Schuyler Riley was the winner with Carolus H in 2000. Other winners include Sara Watt, Amanda Fuscas, Eric Hasbrouck, Terry Rudd, Barney Ward, Buddy Brown and 2008 Olympic Course Designer Steve Stephens. This year's American Gold Cup is a 2012/2013 World Cup qualifying event and as you review the list of past winners, the title of World Cup Champion is attached to a number of the previous title holders of the American Gold Cup. They include Conrad Homfeld, Melanie Smith-Taylor, Michael Matz, Norman Dello Joio, Mario Deslauriers and Leslie Howard. The FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final is an annual international competition among the world's best show jumping horses and riders. The series, created in 1978, today comprises 14 leagues on all continents. The best riders from 132 preliminary competitions qualify for the final.
This year's show will feature a full array of jumper classes, including sections for Children and Adult Jumpers, Low and High Junior/Amateur Jumpers, plus Young Jumpers. A $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Classic will take center stage on Saturday and the day will also include $10,000 NAL Classics for Children, Adults and Low Junior/Amateurs. Highlight events for Open Jumpers include the $10,000 1.45m Speed class on Thursday, the $50,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier on Friday, the $35,000 1.45m American Gold Cup Jumper Classic on Saturday and of course, Sunday's main event, the 42nd edition of the $200,000 American Gold Cup. © Copyright by ShorelinePlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of ShorelinePlus.com, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page |
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