San Juan Capistrano, CA.-May 26, 2000-Oaks/Blenheim Exhibitions has announced its plans for hosting the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Olympic Show Jumping Selection Trials, August 1-4.

The top 12 riders from the first five rounds of Olympic Show Jumping Selection Trials held at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ in June will travel to California to compete in the final five rounds of the Trials, the first three of which will be held at Oaks/Blenheim. The trials at Oaks/Blenheim will mark the first time that Olympic Show Jumping Selection Trials are being held on the West Coast.

Oaks/Blenheim will host a warm-up competition on Tuesday, August 1, following which the 12 riders (some possibly competing with more than one horse) will compete in one round (Selection Trial #6) on Wednesday, August 2, and two rounds (Selection Trials #7 and #8) on Friday, August 4.

The final two rounds of the Olympic Show Jumping Selection Trials will then be held in Del Mar, CA, at the Del Mar Horse Park on Sunday, August 6. At the conclusion of the tenth selection trial, a team of four horse-and-rider combinations plus one alternate will then be named to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

The selection trials at Oaks/Blenheim will feature numerous entertainment activities during the week. A special Family Fun Day is scheduled for Wednesday, August 2 with gates opening at 2:30 pm. Opening ceremonies will begin at 3:30 pm and selection trial competition will start at 4:00 pm. Post-event entertainment is planned to conclude the day's activities.

A similar time schedule is planned for Friday, August 4 which will feature two rounds of selection trials starting at 4:00 pm with entertainment following the competition. Coordinating the competition program will be Robert Ridland who recently filled the same role at Budweiser World Cup 2000 in Las Vegas, which has received praise and acclaim world-wide for its success as one of the best-run Show Jumping World Cup Finals ever held.

"The USET is excited about Oaks/Blenheim's plans for the Olympic Show Jumping Selection Trials. This is a major event and Oaks/Blenheim is going to present the trials in a first-class way. We are thrilled that people who attend will get to see show jumping at its best," said Sally Ike, USET Director of Show Jumping Activities.