10, December 2009

The International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC), in partnership with The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), today launched a major new initiative to recognize the world’s best rider according to the Rolex Rankings.

Starting at the 2009 Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final in Paris, the leading rider will wear a Green & Gold armband featuring the words, “Number 1, The Rolex Rankings”, at all FEI Jumping events throughout 2010.

The Rolex Rankings are updated every week and officially released at the start of each calendar month. The Number 1 ranked rider will wear the Green & Gold for as long as they remain in the top position, handing it over to another rider only when they are knocked off the Number 1 spot.

Presenting the first Green & Gold to Marcus Ehning, FEI Bureau Member Christian Paillot said, “There are many famous items of clothing which recognize sporting excellence including the Yellow jersey in the Tour de France and the Green Jacket at The Masters Golf – the sport of Jumping now has its own.”

Marcus Ehning, the first rider to receive the Green & Gold from IJRC President Rodrigo Pessoa, said, “It is a great privilege to be the first holder of the new Green & Gold armband and I hope to wear it for many months to come! The Rolex Rankings are the only true guide to a rider’s current form, and the Green & Gold is a great way for equestrian fans to quickly identify the leading rider when they compete in competitions throughout the world.”

The World Jumping Riders Rankings were originally launched by the FEI in the 2000 and became the Rolex Rankings in 2007. Points are awarded to riders who compete in FEI events throughout the year and they are the only rankings which provide up to date rider standings on a monthly basis.

Ranking points are awarded to riders who compete in both team and individual events throughout the year, with the number of points dependent on the level of the competition and prize money available. The top rated events for individual riders include The Rolex FEI World Cup™ Final, the final competition of the European Championships and a number of 5* competitions. Top rated team events include the FEI Nations Cup™ Top League competitions, the team competitions at the Olympic Games, the FEI World Equestrian Games and FEI European Championships.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Rod Kohler                    Tel:             +44 207 928 9999
Revolution Sports         Mobile:        +44 7770 647662

3, December 2009

Polo legend Gonzalo Pieres Jr, a 10 goal handicapper on three continents and currently the World Polo Tour No.1 ranked player, has signed an exclusive partnership with iconic watchmaker Rolex.

Gonzalo joins the select group of Rolex Testimonees – exceptional individuals who excel in their chosen sport – who all share Rolex’s philosophy: the constant pursuit of perfection. These include the world’s longest standing No 1 tennis player Roger Federer, golfers Phil Michelson and Loreno Ochoa, show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa and Three-Day Event rider Zara Phillips.

Commenting on the partnership, Gonzalo Pieres said, “It is a great honour to have been asked to become a Rolex Testimonee; my approach to life is to strive for perfection in everything I do and these principles are shared by the Rolex brand.”

He continued, “I have grown up watching Rolex Testimonees compete at the highest level in sporting events around the world and, like them, I have aspired to be considered the best in my chosen sport of polo. Becoming a Rolex Testimonee is not only a privilege but also recognition of what I have achieved in the sport.”

Jean-Noel Bioul, Co-Director Sponsoring at Rolex, said, “Gonzalo is the world’s No. 1 ranked polo player and this has been achieved by focus, dedication and a constant desire to improve. We are delighted that Gonzalo has joined the Rolex family and look forward to working with him over the coming years.”

26 year old Gonzalo Pieres Jr is the son of legendary polo player Gonzalo Pieres who won the Palermo Open with the Espadaña team on six occasions. Gonzalo has won major honours at the highest level of the game including, in the last 12 months, the Grand Slam Sotogrande Cup and Masters Series British Open and US Open, as well as the Argentine Open in 2008. He first played in the Argentine Open, arguably the finest polo tournament on the international stage in 1999, and has competed every year since. He is best known for playing for Ellerstina.

- END -

1 August, 2009

The Revenge of the Open d’Argentine presented by Rolex.

For the first time outside of Argentina’s borders, a top-level professional polo game could be seen at Deauville this afternoon –  in “The Revenge” of the Open d’Argentine presented by Rolex. The world’s two best teams, which were both finalists of the last Open d’Argentine in Buenos Aires before 18,000 spectators in December 2008, were competing against each other once again. This “French revenge” finished by Ellerstina’s victory after a match in which neither of the two teams tried to spare the other.
This Deauville event did not assemble the same number of spectators as the final Buenos Aires matches – high level polo still stays a relatively unwellknown sport in Europe – but it was nevertheless able to arouse excitement among fans. More than 2,000 spectators came together around the “terrain Normandy” of the Racetrack of la Touques, and over 100 media followed the match, while fans in 102 countries were able to see the live transmission thanks to Eurosport. “It’s the first time that a polo match is broadcasted in so many countries” comments Philippe de Nicolay, the president of the Polo de Deauville. “I already got some feedback and it seems that the results are formidable. It’s a big step forward for polo… and this happened in Deauville!”
Whoever had believed the promise of an extraordinary match could not have been deceived as the score was so close that there were only ever a few goals difference between the two teams at all times, even though at first Ellerstina seemed to have taken the course of the game in its hand with Pablo McDonough’s first goal which was quickly followed by his fellow team players Juan-Martin Nero and Facundo Pieres: 3-0 ended to be the biggest gap in the score. Adolfo Cambiaso managed to save the team’s face in the first chukker with a penalty from a distance of 30 yards.
From then on until the end, the two teams competed neck and neck with incredible phases of quality, even though Lolo Castagnola’s injury in the second chukker lead to his replacement by  Guillermo Terrera (who unlike the rest of the players is a handicap 7). Thankfully Castagnola’s injury was not too bad (he overstretched his thumb) but thanks to this incident Deauville’s audience was able to discover or re-discover the talent of young Terrera, who played in the La Dolfina team for the first time and seemed to be aware of this twist of destiny as he showed several beautiful solo actions during the match, for which he finally received the distinction of “most valuable player”. “He’s a good friend of the team”, assures Adolfo Cambiaso “and he was a great replacement. In any way thanks to him we were able to stay on Ellerstina’s level and in the end this match stayed in the line of oppositions of our two teams.  The game today was quite a tough battle.” Terrera was also the cause of today’s second big shock when he ripped the left goalpost out of the field during the fourth chukker (and yet managed to stay on his horse) – but this spectacular accident caused more fear than pain.
Thanks to the two goals that were achieved in the final chukker of the game, Ellerstina was able to confirm its title of the Argentinean Open and Facundo Pieres didn’t hold back his excitement about a job well done: “You have seen a very tight match. I think it was a pleasure to watch it with just a few errors and therefore almost no interruptions except for Lolo’s accident, which fortunately didn’t end too badly. I think it was an incredible day for polo.  It has given us confidence for the Argentinean season that’s to come… I think that we are going to win the title again next December!!!”. All this said with the uttermost seriousness.
A celebration for polo and a beautiful day for Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, president of the International Polo Federation: “An achieved dream. Although the conditions were not exactly great with the rainy weather at the beginning of the game - and yet we saw an excellent match. Afterwards the players came to ask how the game had been perceived by the audience which proves that each of them had the desire to show how great this sport is. This match was magnificent and unforgettable.”

Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra: Facundo Pieres 10 (3 goals, 2 of which were penalties), Gonzalito Pieres 10 (3 goals), Pablo Mac Donough 10 (4 goals) et Juan Martín Nero 10 (1 goal)
La Dolfina Peugeot: Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (2 goals one of which was a penalty), Lucas Monteverde 10 (3 goals one of which penalty), Mariano Aguerre 10 (3 goals) et Bartolomé Castagnola 10 replaced by A. Terrera in 2nd chukker (2 goals)
Ellerstina – La Dolfina : 3-1 ; 4-3 ; 5-5 ; 8-6 ; 9-9 ; 11-9
-END-

For further information:
Pascal Renauldon  Tel: +33 (344) 620 621
R&B Presse      email: p.renauldon@rbpresse.com
Photo R&B Press/Adrien Renauldon, The Revenge Polo de Deauville : Elerstina Winning Team

29 July, 2009

Rolex, the world’s leading watch company, has announced a major partnership with Polo Club de Deauville to become the presenting sponsor of ”The Rematch” – a rematch of the 2008 Argentine Polo Open between the Ellerstina and La Dolfina teams from Argentina.

The Argentine Polo Open takes place annually in Buenos Aires before 18,000 spectators and is the equivalent of the polo World Cup final. “The Rematch” is the first time a rematch has taken place outside Argentina and it is the only Fédération Internationale de Polo affiliated game in Europe which features eight of the eleven best players in the world with a 10-goal handicap.

Among the eight players will be the greatest of all time, the “Maradona of polo” as he is called by his compatriots, a player who has had a 10 handicap ever since the age of 19, Adolfo Cambiaso.

Jean-Noel Bioul, Co-Director of Sponsoring at Rolex, said, “’The Rematch’ will be the highlight of the European polo season and the only time that players with such a high handicap will compete against each other this season. We are very excited about the match and delighted to be the Presenting Sponsor of this prestigious event.”

Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, President of the Fédération Internationale de Polo, said, “This is the greatest polo match to be played outside Argentina ever since the beginning of the modern era of polo, and having the support of such a globally respected world-class brand highlights how very prestigious ‘The Rematch’ will be.”

This historic match on Saturday, 1 August 2009 will open the month-long Deauville polo season, which includes the traditional Silver Cup and Gold Cup. Many other great names from the world of polo will participate with their teams.

-END-

For further information:

Pascal Renauldon  Tel: +33 (344) 620 621
R&B Presse   email: p.renauldon@rbpresse.com

30th March 2009
(Abu Dhabi) In a historic partnership with the Emirates Equestrian Federation, Ascot Racecourse today announced the first ever running of an Arabian purebred
race on King George Day, Saturday 25 July 2009. The race, to be known as His
Highness the President’s Cup, will feature immediately after the King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) and will be the seventh
race on an eight race card.

Commenting on the five-year partnership, Charles Barnett, Ascot CEO said;
“We are delighted to be breaking new ground at Ascot with the announcement
that a first Arab race will be staged at the Royal Racecourse this July, on
King George Day.

The King George is our most important thoroughbred race of the year and this
day provides the ideal platform for our inaugural Arab race, with the
backing of the Emirates Equestrian Federation. The addition of a high
profile Arab race, to Arc Day in Paris has been a great success and we
believe that incorporating this strand of horseracing into any high profile
card is interesting and exciting for racegoers and the wider industry.

We look forward to celebrating the Arabian breed at Ascot, remembering
always the huge part that it has played in the development of the
thoroughbred, beginning, of course, with the Darley Arabian.”

Taleb Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the Emirates Equestrian Federation
said; “The Emirates Equestrian Federation is delighted to be announcing this
collaboration with Ascot; it will be the most historic racing event for
purebred Arabian owners and we are proud to be staging this important race
at the Queen’s racecourse.

The Ascot management have shown huge support for this race and we believe
that the new relationship will have huge benefits not only in the
development of purebred racing around the world, but also in the
relationship between the UAE and UK.”

Revolution Sports Marketing Group: +44 (0)207 928 9999
rod@revolutionpr.co.uk

10 June 2008

In 1922 the Monza Grand Prix circuit was built and it instantly made the small Italian city of Monza famous worldwide.  The same may happen 88 years later in 2010 with Meydan Racecourse – Dubai’s iconic and landmark new development featuring a state of the art dirt and turf track, and a world class grandstand with a capacity of 80,000.

Despite a different century, and type of horsepower, considerable parallels may be drawn between Monza and Meydan.  The Monza circuit was built by a workforce of 3,500  in a record-breaking 110 days.  The track was inaugurated on 3 September, 1922, and the first Italian GP took place that same day (to the delight of the home crowd, Italy’s Pietro Bordino drove a Fiat 501 to victory).  Today, every September, up to 200,000 F1 fans flock to Parco di Monza to see the GP, although the circuit can only accommodate 135,000 spectators.

Construction work at the site of the futuristic Meydan Racecourse started in March 2007 and is currently meeting all targets in its ambitious aim to be ready for use for the first time just 32 months later in November 2009, before its gala opening on Dubai World Cup night in March 2010.  Currently, a team of 4,000 workers are working around the clock to complete the Dubai project with 7,000 workers eventually expected to ensure the venue opens on time.
  
Meydan Racecourse, which has an estimated initial construction cost of US$2.5 billion, will be a stone’s throw from the current Nad Al Sheba Racecourse and will include a five star hotel, more than ten restaurants, the offices of the Dubai Racing Club, a state of the art racing museum, as well as covered parking for approximately 10,000 cars.

Returning to Monza, its racing venue does not lie idle once the Italian GP is over. Major automobile and motorbike competitions are also held throughout the year to ensure a thriving community.  A competition of a different kind gets under way every spring when 20,000 runners circumnavigate the circuit.  At other times, cyclists or skaters try out their speeding skills.

This is where the parallels end as the word Meydan means meeting place and as well as the Racecourse, the site is intended to become a ‘city within a city’ as it will also include the construction and development of Meydan City.  Consisting of commercial and residential plots, retail outlets and arcades with canal, waterfront and promenade views, The City will support a thriving community.  Not satisfied with the galactic Racecourse and Meydan City, a further 2.9 million square feet Business Park is to be built too, plus the Meydan Marina with a four km canal running from Dubai Creek and a Championship golf complex to complete the package.

The Milan born, three-time Dubai World Cup-winning jockey - Frankie Dettori - is based in Dubai for three months each year in the build-up to the annual Dubai World Cup and rides for the “Ferrari team of horse-riding”, Godolphin, the racing operation owned and run by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.  “Godolphin is a Dubai operation so this is our hometown, it carries a lot of pressure; we have to deliver in the Dubai World Cup” said Dettori pre race.
Staged on 29 March, 2008, the Dubai World Cup meeting comprised seven races, each with heavyweight Dubai-based sponsors including property giants Nakheel and Emaar, helping provide the finances to offer a staggering $21.25 million in prize money.   With a purse of US$6 million to the winner of the 13th running of the Emirates Airline-sponsored Dubai World Cup, the American horse – Curlin – romped home to collect the coveted title of Dubai World Cup winner (and the cash) leaving Dettori trailing at the back of the grid much to the disappointment of the Dubai-home team.
 
To boost its international coverage, Channel 4 secured a two-year (2008 & 2009) exclusive terrestrial rights deal to broadcast live coverage from the Dubai World Cup meeting. Channel 4 scheduled a dedicated 30-minute programme, which was live from 17.15hrs – 17.45hrs.  The show was broadcast to include a travel / entertainment / sporting style making it accessible and relevant to the new 5 o’clock audience.

Andrew Thompson, Channel 4’s Head of Sport, commented: “I am delighted that the Dubai World Cup has returned to its original UK terrestrial provider.  As racing’s principal terrestrial broadcaster, the World Cup has rapidly grown to be a must show event.  It is a spectacular contest and a real treat for racing fans.”  

The Dubai World Cup is firmly established as the most international race meeting in the world featuring seven spectacular races and attracting the very best Thoroughbreds and Arabians from the Middle East, North and South America, Europe, Australasia and the Far East.   Like Monza, Meydan Racecourse is set to change the Dubai and arguably, the global racing landscape, with the world’s top thoroughbred racing teams aiming for the ultimate podium finish.  With it, further new sporting and commercial sponsorship records are sure to follow.

• Revolution has an international network of affiliate offices, including in Dubai, to service its growing UAE client base including ABN AMRO and Jumeirah Group.  www.revolutionsports.co.uk. Revolution: 01903 883747

Merrick Haydon, Revolution Sports Marketing Group