Because of conflicting dates of the upcoming Olympics in Australia, the Pulsar Crown of Monterrey sportingly scratched their dates to allow horses and riders enough time for rest and to allow them time to re-group. It was a gamble for Marina Picasso and SEPA that paid off, making Cannes one of the three richest tournaments in the world (alongside CHIO Aachen and CSIO Calgary ) offering the best prize money on average per class.

In addition to the ff3.3 million awarded throughout the six classes, a Pulsar bonus of $25,000 will be awarded to the winner of the Grand Prix Marina Picasso. This class alone offers ff2 million in prize money, of which ff700,000 goes to the winner guaranteeing them approximately ff860,000 when they leave Cannes.

This union will now become the second stop of the Grand Slam of Jumping. Two of the riders eligible to claim the prestigous title of Grand Slam Champion are Markus Fuchs ( Swiss ) and Jerry Smit ( Italy ). If either are victorious, they could take home more than ff5.2 million. Both riders began their Pulsar Crown cycles by winning one event on the circuit. Fuchs celebrated victory last October at the Monterrey Grand Prix with his stallion Tinka's Boy and will be going for his second win at Cannes, which carries a bonus of $700,000. He may not be finished yet, for if he wins at Aachen a month after Cannes, his bonus could increase to $1.75 million.

For Italian Jerry Smit, Cannes represents his final chance to earn the $700,000 bonus. He was the winner at Valkensward in August of 1999 aboard Lux Z. Since the initiation of this challenge, only Hugo Simon has succeeded in claiming victory and the jackpot of $800,000 by winning the Aachen Grand Prix in 1998, 10 months after his first win in Monterrey on the famous ET FRH.

It was through the efforts of Francios Bourey and tenacity of Marina Picasso, that objectives were set and met. It was through their initiative and daring gamble that made this a happy time for all. Because the classes in Sydney will also take place in a sand arena, as is Cannes, the best riders in the world will make this part of their Olympic preparation programme.

There will be a definite Mexican flavor this year. Pulsar will be sponsoring another class 'El Mexicano'. The stud farm of La Silla will be represented in the trade village and some 50 students from the Institute of Technology will be presenting traditional Mexican dancing at the end of the Grand Prix Marina Picasso, as well as in the streets of Cannes.

Although Pulsar International is a holding company based in Monterrey, Mexico, their subsidiaries distribute products in more than 120 countries around the world. They are active in agro-technology, packaging, insurance, non-banking financial services, construction, distribution technology and information. Research and production units are established in close to 40 countries and indirectly employ 100,000 people. "Our choice of Cannes is purely equestrian and involves no commercial strategy " points out Mateo Mazal, who is responsible for the project.

Related Links
www.pulsarcrown.com
2000 Jumping International Cannes Official Website
www.french-horses.com