Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406170257
SECTION: HORSE SHOW PAGE: HS-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
To those affiliated with the 1994 Roanoke Valley Horse Show, it means a lot more.
It means points.
This year's Grand Prix of Roanoke, to be held June 26, will be sponsored by Rolex. The show-jumping competition also will be part of the National Grand Prix League and will be a qualifying event for the Rolex Leading Rider Series, an award to be presented at season's end.
For many years, the Grand Prix of Roanoke was sponsored by an individual, Marian Via, who died in 1993.
"The timing wasn't right [for Rolex and the National Grand Prix League] to become involved until this year," said Michael Parish, the league's president. "But I think it was in our mutual interest to do it [now]."
June Camper, co-chairwoman of the Roanoke Valley Horse Show Committee, said, "It's a plus for us to join a Grand Prix league. Now it's not only the money that brings them [riders and horses] here; it's the points, too."
The NGL Series of Show Jumping includes 50 events in 22 states. The total purse for the season is $1.5 million, and most stops are $25,000 events.
At $75,000, the Grand Prix of Roanoke ranks fourth nationally and second in the Eastern Conference. Two spring Grand Prix events in Palm Springs, Calif., have purses of $100,000 and $250,000, respectively. The Crown Royal Grand Prix in Bridgehampton, N.Y., in September, also is a $100,000 event.
Two events were added to the Rolex Series in 1994. Roanoke was joined by the Rolex Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn.
Parish, who lives in St. Paul, Minn., said his association with Rolex goes back longer than the four years the watch manufacturer has sponsored the National Grand Prix League.
"I was the founder of the Midwest Grand Prix League," said Parish, a stockbroker in Minneapolis. "We were looking to keep show-jumping horses and riders in this area.
"Then we were contacted by the U.S. Equestrian Team. They were looking for a window into this area, and with them came their sponsor, Rolex.
"We've been operating together for eight or nine years, and eventually, the series grew nationwide."
The National Grand Prix League is the largest series, in terms of number of events, in the country.
"We're always interested in affiliating with major events in good markets," Parish said. "And Roanoke is important [on the jumping circuit]."
Camper said, "They told me that they've been looking at it [the Roanoke Valley Horse Show] for several years, but we didn't need the money."
In spite of the large purse and national affiliation, it's still somewhat of a gamble to enter the Grand Prix, said William M. Munford Jr., the show's manager. The entry fee is $750.
"Unless you're getting your money back, or you think you have a chance," Munford said, competitors are hesitant to enter.
The Grand Prix of Roanoke pays through 12 places, with a winner's share of $22,500. Second-place is worth $16,500. The 10th through 12th positions pay $1,500 each.
"Last year we had what we call a perfect course," said Munford, who has been associated with the show for eight years. "Twelve riders made the jump-off, and 12 were getting money."
Munford travels the country from his base in Campbellsville, Ky. On June 11, he was closing the Mednikow/Rolex Grand Prix in the Memphis, Tenn., suburb of Germantown.
Twenty-four hours later, he was checking into a Roanoke motel.
"It's a long drive - 650 miles," Munford said.
"I talked to several at Germantown who said that the Roanoke show is top competition," Munford said, adding that the Rolex NGL affiliation will increase the level of competition.
"But then I talked to others who said they're not coming. They said they just don't have the horses."
The Roanoke event traditionally attracts top competitors, and the sponsorship of Rolex can be expected to help maintain that level.
"Rolex is an international name," Camper said. "It gives us a lot of publicity, and a recognition that someone that large would associate with us."
"Rolex is top of the line," Munford said.
"It means quality," Parish said. "It sets the tone of who we are. It says that someone must have done their homework."
by CNB