Austin O'Connor returns to Bruce's Field, Aiken
Defending Champion Will Coleman and Ireland’s Austin O’Connor are among the confirmed starters so far at the $100,000 Stirling Venture Capital Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce's Field, presented by Taylor Harris Insurance (GPE).
It will be the Irish Olympian’s second visit to the Grand Prix Eventing Showcase, to be held this year on Friday, February 28th and Saturday, March 1st at Bruce's Field in Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
"This particular venue [Bruce's Field] lends itself well to the showcase format. It's a real crowd pleaser! One seat sees all. I think it's an excellent format, a great variation of the sport” says Austin, who will be taking on the Aiken Showcase aboard a catch ride, the 14-year-old mare You've Got The Lux (Poppy), owned by Elizabeth Welker-Ebling, Andrea Welker, and David Ebling.
In our interview with Austin last year, he told us that the key to good catch riding is that you "Make sure the horse is happy and don't change their system"
Last year Austin took home the Annie Goodwin Sportsmanship prize but it was the USA’s Will Coleman who dominated the 2024 Grand Prix Eventing Showcase, taking first and second places on Chin Tonic and Off The Record. Both horses will be back with Will this year and we believe that we’ll also be seeing New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and Artist, who won Best Rookie here in 2024, enjoying some early season action.
Phillip Dutton, Emily Hamel, Sarah Kuhn, Sharon White, Dana Cook, Julie Wolfert and Ariel Grald are also among the provisional entries.
Spectator Course Walks and Charity Teams
As well as riding, Phillip Dutton will be hosting the Triple Crown Feeds Show Jumping Course Walk on Friday in between the dressage and showjumping phases, accompanied FEI Level 4 Course Designer Michel Vaillancourt.
Another US Olympian, Boyd Martin will host the Purina Feeds Cross-Country Course Walk on Saturday before the cross country.
The course walks are open to all ticket holders with no pre-registration required, providing a great chance to get up close and personal with these stars of the sport and learn from the best in the business.
The Ride for Charity element of the competition is once again key in 2025. Each year since the GPE's inception, local and national charitable organizations have been paired up with competitors to get in on the action. As in previous years, the 2025 event will see six charitable organizations paired up with six teams of competitors and the top three teams at the end of the competition earn a cheque for their respective organisation.
Last year it was the Green Team, captained by Emily Hamel riding everyone's favourite horse, Corvett who claimed the cheque for their charity, Aiken County Pony Club.
