2008 WEF Shatters All Records, Ends Sunday With  $160,000 Jumper Events & Parade of Champions

By Kenneth Braddick

Wellington, FL - There was a record of almost 26,000 entries in the 2008 CN Winter Equestrian Festival presented by Zimmerman Advertising at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

A total of 25,756 entries were recorded in the 12 weeks from Jan. 16 to the end of WEF on Sunday, April 6 compared with a total of 18,665 over the same 12-week period in 2007 that included eight weeks of WEF and four weeks of shows at the neighboring Littlewood Farms facility that is now part of PBIEC.

For the directly comparable eight weeks of WEF in 2008, there were 19,508 entries as against 16,656 for the eight weeks of WEF in 2007, according to the records. The entries were the total number for the 12 weeks of WEF. The weekly average of entries was 2,146. WEF for 2008 ends Sunday with the Parade of Champions and seven jumper classes with total of prize money of $160,000.

Four Jumper Invitational Classics sponsored by Zimmerman Advertising begin at 8 a.m. in the International Arena with the $20,000 Children's class, followed by $20,000 Adult Amateur, $30,000 Junior Jumper and $30,000 Amateur Jumper. A series of pony and hunter invitational classics with comparable prize money from Zimmerman Advertising were held last Sunday.

Finals of the 5, 6 and 7/8 year old WEF Young Jumpers, each with prize money of $20,000, will also be held this Sunday.

The Parade of Champions is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday with an estimated 50 WEF Circuit Champions expected for the annual presentations that are also a vote of thanks to sponsors who contributed a large portion of the record of more than $5 million in prize money.

Photo: Some of the horses in Saturday's Week 12 Parade of Champions at CN Winter Equestrian Festival presented by Zimmerman Advertising at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Photo: Ken Braddick-HorseSport USA