The 61st annual Del Mar National Horse Show wraps up its third and final week with Hunter/Jumper Week, May 2–7.

Coming on the heels of Western Week (April 20-23) and Dressage Week (April 27-30), Hunter/Jumper Week features the Del Mar National’s showcase event, the $100,000 HBO Grand Prix of Del Mar, an American Grandprix Association event, on Saturday, May 6, at 7 p.m. All Hunter/Jumper Week events are open to the public and staged at the Del Mar Equestrian Center on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The $100,000 HBO Grand Prix of Del Mar is the most prestigious show jumping event in California. Last year, a standing-room-only crowd witnessed Rich Fellers aboard McGuinness make history with a flawless performance to capture his second consecutive Grand Prix of Del Mar. Fellers’ success at the Grand Prix of Del Mar helped catapult him to the top of the West Coast League list for the World Cup team, and his participation in the FEI World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur means he will not be back to defend his title, opening up an opportunity for this year’s outstanding field to capture the crown.

Additional marquee events during Hunter/Jumper Week’s evening lineup include:

-$10,000 Ralphs Power & Speed Grand Prix qualifier (Tuesday, May 2, 7 p.m.)
-$25,000 Surfside Grand Prix, a Grand Prix series qualifier (Thursday, May 4, 7 p.m.)
-$25,000 DMNHS Open Equitation Championship presented by Show Circuit Magazine and the new $25,000 Dearborne Stables Open Hunter Classic (Friday, May 5, 7 p.m.)
-$25,000 California Junior/Amateur Show Jumping Championship (Sunday, May 7, 2 p.m)

Hunter/Jumper Week features the best in the world in a showcase of the finest horses and riders in all levels of tests in junior, amateur, hunter, jumper and equitation divisions. Featured riders expected to compete include Richard Spooner, Mandy Porter, Hap Hansen and Canadian John Pearce.

Hunter competition features judging that focuses solely on the horse as it completes a course simulating natural obstacles found in the hunting field, such as stone walls, brush hedges and rail fences. This competition is not timed.

Show jumping is an Olympic sport considered by many to be the most exciting of all the equestrian disciplines. In the jumper division, the jumpers are timed solely on their ability to master challenging obstacles without faulting, pitting horse and rider against other teams and the clock.

In equitation, only the rider is judged, not the horse. Riders attempt to show smooth and controlled management of the horse during flat work or over fences.

The Del Mar National Horse Show runs April 20-May 7 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar. For ticket information, call the Del Mar Equestrian Office at (858) 792-4288, or Ticketmaster at (619) 220-8497. Tickets also are available at Mary’s Tack and Feed in Del Mar and San Juan Capistrano, or online through www.ticketmaster.com. Dressage Week show hours begin daily at 8 a.m. Admission on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. is free. Admission for the show’s featured evening and weekend events ranges from $10 to $17 for grandstand seats. Please see the show’s website, www.delmarnational.com, for details.


~~~