Thunderbird Showpark begins the Summer Fort Festival with heightened excitement, as 75 athletes representing 13 countries passed inspection for CSI4*-W competition, which will culminate with the $145,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver on Sunday, Aug. 26.

tbird’s World Cup qualifier is the first of 14 legs on the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League, from which seven east coast U.S. riders, three west coast U.S. riders, two Canadian riders, and two Mexican riders, along with current World Cup Champion Beezie Madden (USA), will qualify for the 2019 World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Among the athletes lined up to jump at tbird this week are Richard Spooner (USA) and Alison Robitaille (USA), who both competed in last year’s World Cup Final in Paris, France. Spooner also led the west coast sub league standings of the North American League last season. Conor Swail (IRL) returns as the defending Champion of tbird’s World Cup qualifier after prevailing with Flower last August. Also in the lineup are Jenn Serek and Laura Jane Tidball, who both contributed to a gold medal effort for Canada in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Mexico in April.

The Summer Fort Festival features four international classes. The CSI4*-W tbird Happy Welcome (2:00 p.m. PT) and the $75,000 CSI4*-W Maui Jim Welcome (5:00 p.m.) highlight Thursday, Aug. 23’s schedule, while the $75,000 CSI4*-W Steel-Craft Doors Cup will take place Friday, Aug. 24.

The week will conclude on a high note Sunday, Aug. 26, with the feature event, the $145,000 CSI4*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver at 2:00 p.m. PT.