The highest points earner on the Western Canada circuit, which included stops in Brandon and Edmonton, will be awarded the crystal Kubota Cup and the new Kubota RTV900 utility vehicle. Points leader Tamie Phillips of Strathmore, AB, has her eyes firmly planted on the prize, but so do those who are further down the leader board. With the innovative points calculations, any one of the frontrunners could conceivably take the championship by winning Sunday’s $35,000 Kubota Cup Jumping Derby at Twin Oaks Farm.

“The competition will be fierce amongst a very talented field. It doesn’t get any better than this!” says Ross Wallace, General Manager of Kubota Canada Ltd., which signed a multi-year agreement to sponsor the first ever Canadian Show Jumping Series to span the country, coast to coast.

Karen Cudmore, a Victoria, BC native who now resides in Omaha, NE and has represented Canada at top international competitions, is still in the hunt for the championship with Southern Pride, standing second in the Western Division standings. Cudmore has been competing at major shows in Ontario and Quebec this summer, and won the $60,000 Kubota Cup Grand Prix at International Bromont with her stallion, Conejo. But she has made the trek west with two of her other grand prix mounts, Southern Pride and Moxie, a testament to the high profile the Kubota Cup Series has established in its inaugural year.

Also challenging the final are three riders from Calgary – John Anderson and O’Malley, closely followed by his wife Tani, with Galand D’illi, and up-and-comer Kristin Russell. Hometown favourite Gary Brewster, who trains out of the host Twin Oaks Farm, has also served notice that he will be competing to win with two mounts, Royal Viali and Watermark.

The Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series, with stops at seven equestrian venues from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast, is the subject of a 13-part television series that will air on the Global national television network beginning October 2. The production crew from Generator Productions is at Twin Oaks this week to continue delving into the behind-the-scenes stories of show jumping and its riders, horses and other personalities. The “who’s who” of the equestrian world will be given a sneak preview of the first episode of “Along For The Ride” in Richmond this weekend. New Canadian singing talent Craig McIntrye and his band will also be performing. His new album, being released on the West Coast this weekend, contains the Series’ theme song. He is accompanied by Jon Van Wingerden, co-writer and producer of the album.

The Kubota Cup National Show Jumping Series has been made possible through a multi-year commitment by Kubota Canada Ltd.. The Eastern Kubota Cup Champion will be crowned in Halifax on October 15. The top riders from both divisions will meet at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto November 5 where a Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series National Champion will be crowned.