Equestrian Premier League 2019: Ashish Limaye wins open category title

Bengaluru, November 18: Ashish Limaye, a dedicated and talented rider from Embassy International Riding School, clinched the Equestrian Premier League 2019 championship in open category.

EIRS, held the grand finale of the 10th edition of Equestrian Premier League (EPL) in Bengaluru on Sunday (November 17).

The grand finale was neck and neck among the top riders with the finest horses to lift the champion's trophy of the 10th Edition of the Equestrian Premier League.

The EPL Tournament had 3 categories - Children (80 cm category), Junior (100 cm category) and the Open (120 cm category).

While EIRS' Limaye won the open category title, Geethika Tikkishetty also of EIRS claimed the title for the children category. Tiyasha Vathul of Chennai Equitation Centre clinched the title for Junior category.

Tiyasha Vathul is also the champion for EPL feature event knock out of 100 -105 cm Show jumping that was held on Sunday (November 17). Total cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs was awarded to the winners during this edition.

In the 10th Edition 40-50 participants and top clubs like, Chennai Equitation Centre; Madras School of Equitation; United Riders Barn; Red Earth riding school to name a few competed over the 6-month tournament. What separates EPL from other competitions is the attention to detail and the high level of competition put on the riders which raises their standard.

The finale witnessed the presence of Mr. Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director, Embassy Group; Ms. Silva Storai, Director, EIRS; Mr. Kishore Futnani, Chennai Equitation Centre; Lt. Col. Sandeep Dewan, Nilgiris Equestrian Centre and Lt. Col. Amit Sinsinwar, Secretary, Army Supply Corps Riding and Polo Academy.

Mr. Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director, Embassy Group said, "It is very fulfilling to reach the 10th edition of the Equestrian Premier League and see that our efforts have seen great success. The EPL has provided a platform for talented and enthusiastic riders to train and compete in professional Equestrian sport.

"We are also very excited about Fouaad Mirza's progress and preparation towards the Olympics 2020. We have recently procured a new horse Dajara from Germany which will give Fouaad a competitive edge. We have ensured that he gets the best in class support and facilities for all his endeavors, even though there are many challenges like expatriating funds from India for this purpose.

"We hope that things are more streamlined going forward, such that the Indian Equestrian sport gets the necessary impetus to be on the world map"

Sincere dedication of Ms. Silva Storai and the persistent support from Mr. Jitu Virwani have produced several star performers, one of them being Fouaad Mirza the 26-year-old who was the first Indian rider to win the first silver medal in the Asian Games after 36 years.

Team India sponsored by Embassy also won a silver in Eventing, and included Fouaad Mirza, Jitender Singh, Akash Malik and Rakesh Kumar.

Ms. Silva Storai, Director, Embassy International Riding School (EIRS) said, "We are very happy to see the rise from 2 clubs participating in 2009 to 40-50 top clubs of India participating in the 10th Edition of EPL.

"Today, the EIRS academy is one of the finest riding schools in our country with best in class infrastructure, training modules, high quality horses and the International jumping arena among many other features. EIRS attracts equestrian talent from across the country owing to the passion and determination that strive at every hook and nook of this academy."

Winners list Category wise:

Open Category -120 -125 cm Show Jumping

Junior Category - 100 -105 cm Show Jumping

Children Category - 80 cm Show Jumping