Mary Jo Madden Sloan
Media Contact
Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament
603-498-4978
maryjomadden@hotmail.com

Syracuse's Sporthorse Cup on Animal Planet January 10

January 7, 2009 (Cazenovia, NY):  The finale of the Animal Planet World Sporthorse Championships series, the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup, which took place in downtown Syracuse in November will be broadcast at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 10 on Animal Planet. This is the third time that Animal Planet has produced this unique event that features a three-round show jumping competition in which the top seven all-stars from the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament compete head-to-head. This year's competitors are Cara Raether, Callan Solem, Brianne Goutal, and Beezie Madden, of the United States, Harry Smolders and Henk Van De Pol of the Netherlands and Ben Maher of Great Britain.

"I always had a feeling that the intensity of show jumping could be captured on television with some basic adjustments in the format," says John Madden, Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament organizer. "Animal Planet believed in that too and has done a great production each year that TV audiences really seem to enjoy."

For more information about the Animal Planet broadcast, visit: http://animal.discovery.com/events/world-sporthorse-championships/video/video.html. More information about the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament is available at: http://www.syracuseinvitational.com. 
 
Each fall, the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament welcomes the top-ranked equestrians from across the US 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 to November 1, 2009. A 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, the Syracuse Invitational benefits Cornell University Equine Hospital and Vera House.