Judgement, Olympic Gold Medalist Beezie Madden's long-time partner, will make his final appearance before fans in a ceremony to be held on Sunday, November 1, during the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Touranment. The storied 18-year-old dark bay stallion is a two-time winner of the Cup, and arguably one of the most successful American-bred stallions in show jumping history.
Madden, who has ridden the horse to world fame, will ride Judgement once again into the arena for a ceremony and retrospective of his career that will include Judgement's owner and breeder, Mary Alice Malone of Iron Spring Farm. The Cup will begin at 2 p.m., and the ceremony will take place during phases II and III.
"It will be a bittersweet moment for me, riding Judgement into the ring for the last time," commented Madden. "We thought it was appropriate to do in front of his Syracuse fans where he certainly loved to jump. I will miss competing with him, but it is the right thing to do for him, and I couldn't ask for more from him than he has already given."
Judgement will be stabled in the Exhibition Hall at the Tournament hosted at the Oncenter in Syracuse from Friday, October 30, through Sunday, November 1. Fans and admirers will have the opportunity to meet him there, take photographs and offer best wishes. This will be his last public appearance before being retired to his owner's farm in Pennsylvania where he will be bred and relax among the rolling hills and green pastures.
Judgement's successful career is legendary. The stallion has competed in the USA, Canada, France, Ireland, England, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Malaysia and The Netherlands. He represented the U.S. on 10 Nations Cup Teams and competed in two World Cup Finals. He was the first American-bred and born stallion to top $1,000,000 and the first to be officially recognized by the KWPN (Dutch Warmblood Association). He jumped at the Grand Prix level for 10 years. Other notable honors include: 2005 Chronicle of the Horse Show Jumper of the Year, 2005 nomination for KWPN Horse of the Year, and 2004 FEI Horse of the Year North America KWPN.
Tickets are available for the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup and all featured Tournament competitions (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and at 7 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m.) range from $10.00 to $25.00 and are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and the Oncenter Box Office (315-435-2121). Competitions not listed above are ticketed as free.
In addition to the competition in the arena, the Tournament offers a free Equestrian Expo with shopping, dining, exhibits, children's activities, live entertainment, and a host of educational demonstrations and lectures.
Each fall, the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament welcomes the top-ranked equestrians from across the U.S. and the world to downtown Syracuse to compete at the War Memorial Arena in the Oncenter Complex. The event features a full slate of high-level competition, entertainment, shopping and exhibitions and runs October 28-November 1, 2009. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Syracuse Invitational benefits Cornell University Equine Hospital and the Vera House. For more information, please visit www.syracuseinvitational.com.