Edmonton, AB - Sports legends came together Thursday at the Edmonton Northlands Horse Show to talk about the importance of sport and corporate support for athletes. Edmonton Oilers’ hockey team General Manager Kevin Lowe joined Canada’s 8-time Olympic show jumper Ian Millar, local grand prix rider and former Olympian Lisa Carlsen and Irish show jumping legend Eddie Macken at a Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series event on the infield of the Northlands Park racetrack.

Lowe, who played for the Oilers in all five of its Stanley Cup wins in the Gretzky era, welcomed riders to Edmonton, calling it “the world’s greatest sports city”. He said, “On behalf of the sports community, welcome. We hope you have a great time and lots of success. And kudos to Kubota for supporting such a great event.”

Kubota Canada Ltd. has signed a multi-year sponsorship with horse shows in seven Canadian cities. Up for grabs in this inaugural year is a total $325,000 in prize money. At the end of the year a Crystal Trophy and a new Kubota RTV Utility Vehicle will be awarded to the Western Kubota Cup Champion and the Eastern Kubota Cup Champion. The Edmonton Northlands Horse Show is the second stop on the Western Canada tour. Kubota Canada National Marketing Manager John Gilliland said, “I am constantly amazed at the tremendous support we receive in western Canada.”

Millar, who is in Edmonton to compete in the city where he first learned to ride 48 years ago, said, “The stand alone events are wonderful but there’s nothing like a tour with a whole story line”.

“That’s what Kubota’s bringing to the sport,” said Millar. “It’s great to see these young Alberta riders. There’s quite a depth of very, very gifted riders, and the opportunities as provided by Kubota will really help them out.”

Gilliland also introduced Irish show jumping legend Eddie Macken, who is competing at the Edmonton show. Macken, chef d’equipe for the Irish Team at last summer’s Olympic Games in Athens, is now based in Langley BC. “In the last few years I’ve been here I think this is one of the most positive steps I’ve seen in this sport,” he said. “It will upgrade our horse shows, it will upgrade the competition. Having Ian Millar riding here this week probably wouldn’t have happened if Kubota hadn’t been involved.”

Alberta Grand Prix riders including Allen Kruger (Leduc), as well as Calgarians John and Tani Anderson, Andrew More, Jim Ifko and Jonathan Asselin will be competing alongside Millar, Carlsen and Macken as well as the Kubota Cup Western Canada points leader Karen Cudmore in Saturday’s $35,000 Kubota Cup Grand Prix.