Tickets to the inaugural Preliminary Challenge Gala are going nearly as fast as entries have filled for the Event At Woodside on May 22-24. A well-qualified field of 32 horses will contest the two sections of the Preliminary Challenge, with an additional 340 horses entered in the six other divisions offered on the weekend.

“This is an excellent entry in our first year of offering the Preliminary Challenge,” said Organizer Robert Kellerhouse. “And I’m ecstatic that we’ve taken our maximum number of 370 horses, with a waiting list of 15 more, for the entire event. That’s as many horses as we have daylight to run!”

The generous sponsors of the Preliminary Challenge are Equine Insurance of California, CWD Saddlery, Mushroom Matrix, Custom Saddlery, Succeed Digestive Conditioner and The Bar in Henderson, NV.

The Preliminary Challenge, offering a purse and prize money of $30,000, will kick off on Friday afternoon with dressage in the horse park’s Bay Arena, following dressage for the advanced and intermediate divisions.

The exciting cross-country phase for the Preliminary Challenge will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. On Saturday afternoon the advanced and intermediate horses will jump around Derek di Grazia’s spectator-friendly cross-country course, and then the Preliminary Challenge will climax on Saturday evening over a special show jumping course set in the Bay Arena.

The exciting evening will commence at 6 p.m. with a beautiful parade of the nearby Los Altos Hounds and a performance of the National Anthem by Bay Area singer Don Gustafson.

The Preliminary Challenge Gala Dinner, on the berm overlooking the Bay Arena, will enhance the competition. Appetizers and a cash bar will be offered during the competition, followed by dinner catered by Riverview Farms Catering of Santa Cruz and music. Tickets are $45 per person and $25 for riders entered in other Woodside divisions. Riders competing in the Preliminary Challenge will be invited to attend.

Tables for 10 people are available for $450. Tickets are available at the Horse Park at Woodside website at www.horsepark.org. Click on the Preliminary Challenge link on the home page.

The Gala will include a silent and a live auction, highlighted by a unique package of members’ tickets for two to the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, plus airfare and hotel—a package worth $3,000. Other vacation packages, jewelry, equestrian gear and more will also be offered.

“It’s show time!” exclaimed Kellerhouse. “Really, there’s nothing else in the world like the view from the Bay Arena—besides the dressage and show jumping, you can see the scenic hills of Woodside to the west and the exquisite San Francisco Bay to the east.”

The Preliminary Challenge Gala Evening has been organized by Gayle Strickland (current president of the Horse Park), Holly Nash (the former president), Eileen Morganthaylor, Hilary Bates, Janis Ashford and Katie Graham.

“Dozens and dozens of people help make this show happen, including our fantastic staff, sponsors, the Gala Committee, and our Horse Trials Committee, and I can’t thank them enough for their tireless efforts to make this event work so wonderfully in these tough economic times,” said Kellerhouse.

Competition tickets are $10 per person per day at the gate.

Admission to the Horse Park at Woodside is included with purchase of a ticket to the Preliminary Challenge Gala.

To learn more about the Horse Park at Woodside or the Horse Trials At Woodside, go to www.horsepark.org. To learn more about eventing, visit the United States Eventing Association’s website at www.useventing.com.