NFL Miami Dolphins Stadium Transforms Into Horse Show This Weekend

PMG press release by: Kenneth Kraus

Miami, FL – April 2, 2014 – – In addition to five Super Bowls and two World Series, Sun Life Stadium has hosted everything from monster jam truck rallies to Wrestlemania, but never show jumping.

That will change on Saturday, April 5th when Sun Life Stadium hosts the $200,000 American Invitational presented by G&C Farm, regarded as the “Super Bowl” of show jumping.

The event, the longest running and most prestigious of all American show jumping events, is the only major equestrian event in the United States held in a football stadium.

The world-class horse show is one of the few events the stadium has not hosted since it opened in 1987.

“We have hosted the UniverSoul Circus in the parking lot and there have been live animals on the field at halftime, but we haven’t had a horse show on the field like this. It will be a first for us,” said George Torres, vice president of stadium events for Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium.

“It is the premier show jumping event in the U.S. It makes sense for us to try it out. The fact it is a world-class event matches our calendar of events very well. We are hoping the South Florida community will embrace it and it will grow over the years.

“We hope it will be successful and an annual event for Sun Life and South Florida,” Torres said.

Sun Life Stadium, the tenth oldest stadium in the NFL, is a landmark in Miami. It is the home of the Miami Dolphins and University of Miami football teams and annually hosts the Orange Bowl during the college football post-season.

It was designed to be pleasing to the eye and functional, and also designed in a way that there is not a bad seat in the house which makes it perfect for watching some of the finest horses and equestrians in the world including Olympic gold medalist and defending champion McLain Ward, Beezie Madden and Margie Engle, who grew up down the road from the stadium.

“This is a time of year where we have the stadium and field available,” Torres said.

Torres said his staff’s main preparation for the horse show was “providing a good field with good turf and obviously, no football markings on it. It is a perfectly green field and ready to go for them.”

The surface is Prescription Athletic Turf natural grass trucked in from out-of-state which was freshly installed after the monster truck event.

The horse stables will be constructed in the players’ parking lot.

There will be a large VIP Pavillion on the south side of the field where the players’ benches normally are. Because of the size of the event (estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators), the north side of the stadium 100 level will be utilized.

Sun Life’s capacity is 80,000 for football games which it set an attendance record of 80,120 fans at the 2013 BCS Championship game.

The stadium contains 10,209 club seats and 216 luxury suites which will be open for licensees and others who want to purchase for the show.

Organizers are hoping for a good attendance, not only from the Wellington and statewide horse community but from South Florida’s diverse community watching internationally-ranked riders from South and Central America compete including Rodrigo Pessoa.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of Palm Beach, who just completed the NFL annual meeting in Orlando, may also attend along with other minority Dolphin owners Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony, Jimmy Buffett and tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

Tickets for the American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm are on sale now. Also, special up close tables in the Wells Fargo Private Bank Club, ringside at Sun Life Stadium, are on sale as well. The club offers the perfect location to watch America’s most challenging and exciting show jumping event. In addition to the great location, the club will feature sensational catering, your favorite beverages and first class service. The Wells Fargo Private Bank Club will be available for use during both the Hollow Creek $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior Amateur Classic, as well as the main event, the $200,000 American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm.

To assure yourself of the best seats available, buy your tickets now. You can avoid online ticket fee by calling the stadium box office at (305) 943-6311.

Visit the official charity for the American Invitational, Just World International at:

www.justworldinternational.org

The prize list for the American Invitational can be found here.

http://www.stadiumjumping.com/#!athlete-information/cr6r

Ringside VIP tables available at Sun Life Stadium. Please email: Matt.morrissey@stadiumjumping.com for more information

For Sponsorship information please contact:

Connie Sawyer 518-461-6288 or sawyer.equestrianevents.@gmail.com

April Wehle 561-459-9259 or aprilw@stadiumjumping.com