Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe’s premier charity horse show-jumping event and the first Grand Prix in New Mexico, the Grand Prix de Santa Fe, announced today that it is cancelling its 2011 event, scheduled for June. The Board of Directors of the Grand Prix de Santa Fe continues to pursue a permanent, new and larger venue and title sponsor with the goal of resuming the charity horse show event in 2012.
In 2010, the Grand Prix de Santa Fe lost its title sponsor and venue host, Las Campanas Santa Fe, due to financial constraints, after Las Campanas, LP failed to honor the final year of its four-year contract with Grand Prix de Santa Fe. The 2010 charity event was subsequently postponed as the board of directors of Grand Prix de Santa Fe pursued other venue options in the Santa Fe area. Presently, there are no suitable venues available in terms of adequate and appropriate space and horse show footing. “Because the Grand Prix de Santa Fe has grown so much in volume of entries and public attendance, we are actively pursuing expanded venues in the Santa Fe area to accommodate expected future growth”, notes Brian Gonzales, Board Treasurer and co-founder of the charity event.
From 2007 through 2009, the Grand Prix de Santa Fe was held on Las Campanas’ golf course sod nursery, which was expanded and developed to allow for horse and other events. The Grand Prix de Santa Fe is one of few events in Santa Fe that remains free to the general public. The four-day horse show also featured two ticketed events, a Saturday Evening Gala and a Sunday Champagne Brunch that takes place during the main event, the $40,000 Grand Prix class. More than 3,000 spectators attended the event in 2009 and over $65,000 in prize money was awarded to the event’s competitors who travel from all parts of the United States and abroad, including Mexico, Canada and New Zealand. In 2009, the event welcomed its first Olympic competitor, John Pearce of Ontario, Canada, who finished second in the $40,000 Grand Prix class to Bjorn Ikast, winner of more than 75 Grand Prix competitions throughout North and Central America.
Since its inception in 2004, the Grand Prix de Santa Fe, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has donated over $145,000 to human service and equine nonprofit organizations in New Mexico.
Previous recipients include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Mexico, New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project, The Horse Shelter, Silver Bullet Productions, Las Campanas Compadres and Santa Fe Pro Musica’s Youth Programs. Moreover, the Grand Prix de Santa Fe is committed to support local businesses and sources 95% of its vendors and suppliers locally. This, in combination with the hospitality and tourism revenue generated by the competitors and spectators who travel to Santa Fe for the event, brings over $1,000,000 to the Santa Fe economy in gross receipts annually.
For further information, please contact Phyllis Gonzales, Board of Directors President, at 505-470-3952, or email, [email protected].
ENDS