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The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) will host an opening circuit press conference held on Tuesday, January 8, at 1 p.m. at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The press conference will include Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo, FTI Consulting Chairman Dennis Shaughnessy, and rider representatives.
Food and drinks will be served at the press conference, which will be open to all media who would like to hear about schedule highlights and news for this year. Media planning to attend can also pick up their credentials at the press conference.
Equestrian Sport Productions is looking forward to the start of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival and welcomes the media to the opening press conference to begin a great year.
Other highlights of week one include the $30,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 1 on Thursday, the $25,000 Suncast® 1.50M Championship Jumper Classic on Saturday afternoon, and the $30,000 Mar-a-Lago Club Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 2013 FTI WEF is a twelve-week circuit running January 9-March 31, 2013. The competition brings many of the top horses and riders from around the world to compete in Wellington at the beautiful Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). On Saturday, January 12, many of those horses and riders will go head to head in the Nespresso Battle of the Sexes competition. Gates open at 6 p.m. with free general admission. Spectators are encouraged to wear pink and blue to support their favorite team as the riders compete through three phases, including a speed round, match races, and a challenging six-bar competition.
Team captains will be leading the teams this year with Georgina Bloomberg at the helm of an always strong female team; they will be defending their title for the sixth year in a row! The men will try to win for the first time with their captain Charlie Jayne.
Watch the Nespresso Battle of the Sexes live on USEFNetwork. Coverage will begin at approximately 7pm ET time on Saturday, January 2th.