ShowBiz Feature
his year the Rolex FEI World Cup Finals or making a Team, you won your way on. I liked that."
T
made its fifth appearance in Las Vegas, Ne- “When the Finals were in Paris, 1988 I believe, the
vada. As always, it was an amazing equestrian magazine had subscribers in 50 states and 39 countries
event. But in the middle of it all were whis- and the World Cup Finals was one of the things I liked
pers that this would also be the last time. As to write about. After the Finals, Tish and I were on the
unfortunate as that would be, it is interesting to know train going over to Versailles – just because we felt our
how the Finals make their way to Las Vegas in the first readers had to see Versailles,” he laughed, “and I started
place and what's next? I sat down with the man who thinking, ‘I like the World Cup Finals so much, how come
knows the whole story, because basically, he wrote it. we don’t have one on the West Coast?’ It had been twice
John Quirk acquired his love of horses through his wife, in America, but on the East Coast. I thought it would
Tish. A long time horsewoman, a very successful com- be a real fun thing to do. The first thought that came
petitor, a renowned breeder and owner, Tish brought the to mind was Del Mar, which was close to where I live.”
horse 'bug' with her when they married and happily, John But riding that train with lots of time to dream,
accepted the total package....a wife and lots of horses. Quirk decided instead that an interesting place to
He was not originally a horse person but in 1980, they have a World Cup Final would be Las Vegas!!!! There
purchased Horses Magazine. John wanted more from had never been a horse show there, and there would
the magazine than people just putting their own pictures be a lot of work involved, but the concept of having
in a publication, and he decided to learn the Interna- the event in the entertainment Mecca of the world
tional sport of show jumping to change the track of his was too enticing. “I decided, ‘I’ll do that’,” he said.
newly obtained magazine. “I studied it backwards and When John returned to California from that trip he be-
forwards and saw thousands and thousands of horses gan drawing up some plans to have the event in Vegas,
jump millions of jumps,” he told me. “At that time I then someone told him that Del Mar was building a big
also went to the World Cup Finals in Gothenburg, new arena. Being that Del Mar was his initial thought
Sweden. I thought it was the best event of them all, in the first place, he jumped at the chance. In 1992
for the very reason that you had to earn your own way the World Cup Finals, and Johns dream, finally came
on. You didn’t have to rely on somebody choosing you out West. With the later addition of the FEI rule that
“I went across town to Las Vegas Events, introduced myself
and over a period of a couple of years, AND it wasn’t easy at
all, I convinced them that they should hold a World Cup Finals."
Photos © Tish Quirk
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