October 21, 2005 – Birmingham, Great Britain – JustWorld International Rider Ambassador Robert Maguire of Great Britain scored his first victory riding for the not-for-profit organization with a win in the HOYS Grand Prix at CSI3* Birmingham, GBR, on October 16. JustWorld International is a not-for-profit, humanitarian organization founded to work as a catalyst for positive change in the developing world by helping underprivileged children.

Maguire was one of seven riders from the original 22-horse starting field to advance to the jump-off in the 34,000 Euro HOYS Grand Prix, set at a height of 1.60m. First to challenge, Jean-Marc Nicolas of France posted a clear round in a time of 44.62 seconds to take the early lead. Maguire, competing third in the order with Two Mills Showtime, was able to shave almost three and a half seconds of the leading time, stopping the clock at 41.20 seconds to move into top spot. Ellen Whitaker came dangerously close to overtaking the lead when she broke the beam at 41.42 seconds, but Maguire held on for the win as all other challengers had rails down in their failed attempts to catch his time.

“After I took the lead from Jean-Marc, all who followed tried to catch my time and had one mistake,” explained Maguire, 25, who placed sixth in this event last year riding Two Mills Showtime. “Riders are invited to the Horse Show of the Year based on the British rankings, and I’ve been lucky enough to qualify for the past few years. It is a good Grand Prix to win because it is in front of a home crowd and provides a great atmosphere for the British riders.”

Although Maguire has enjoyed numerous victories throughout his career, his victory at CSI3* HOYS Birmingham marks the second international win of his young career. Maguire has committed to donating a portion of his prize money to JustWorld International, making his cheque from CSI 3* HOYS Birmingham his first official donation to the organization.

“I had originally thought about becoming a Rider Ambassador when I was at La Baule, and then I officially signed up at Chantilly,” said Maguire about the process of becoming a JustWorld International Rider Ambassador. “Although Tim Stockdale has since gotten involved as well, no one in England had heard about JustWorld International at the time. It is becoming well-known in North America and Europe, and I thought that it would be good for JustWorld to raise its profile in England where I think it has a lot of potential, and I wanted to help spread the word. I feel good about doing something to help the charity, and I feel it is an important cause. Every time I have a good show, I will put forward a donation to JustWorld International.”

Maguire is a full-time athlete who operates High Brooke Stables near Manchester. While much of his business is concentrated on producing young horses, he tries to attend as many international shows as possible to give exposure to his two grand prix mounts, Two Mills Showtime, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Cavalier Royale, and Mr. Cawley, a ten-year-old chestnut Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Mrs. Jan Zilli. Earlier this year, Maguire competed on Nations Cup teams at CSIO4* Wellington, USA, where the British finished second overall, and in the Samsung Super League Nations Cup at CSIO5* St. Gallen, SUI. He was also the first alternate at CSIO5* La Baule, FRA, and CSIO5* Rotterdam, NED.

“I was so happy to get the news on Sunday night of Robert’s win in the Grand Prix!” said Jessica Newman, Executive Director of JustWorld International. “He called us right away, excited not only at having won, but also excited to make his first donation to JustWorld. I was thrilled when Robert decided to join our organization at CSI3* Chantilly in September as he had been a frequent visitor to our information booths at other partner shows earlier in the summer. He is young and enthusiastic, and I hope he will be an inspiration to other young riders who wish to come forward and follow in his footsteps.”

JustWorld International Rider Representatives include Kevin Babington of Ireland, Christophe Barbeau of Switzerland, James Benedetto of the United States, Bruno Chimirri of Italy, Angela Covert-Lawrence of Canada, Federico Fernandez of Mexico, Markus Fuchs of Switzerland, Herve Godignon of France, Pauline Guignery of France, Olivier Guillon of France, Imke Hofschroer of Germany, Candice King of the United States, Eric Lamaze of Canada, Rutherford Latham of Spain, Peter Leone of the United States, Robert Maguire of Great Britain, Giulia Martinengo Marquet of Italy, Titi Mills of Honduras, Eric Navet of France, Marie Pellegrin of France, Ludo Philippaerts of Belgium, Philippe Rozier of France, Tim Stockdale of Great Britain, Ray Texel of the United States, Marilyn Vorpe of Switzerland and Gregory Wathelet of Belgium. Through various initiatives, including donating a portion of their prize money and giving clinics to benefit JustWorld International and encouraging their owners, sponsors and youth to follow their lead, riders are able to support the organization’s projects and programs.

JustWorld International raises awareness and funds in the equestrian community to support humanitarian projects that benefit impoverished communities and children in the developing world. Cooperating with local partners, JustWorld International implements sustainable, culturally sensitive education, health and vocational projects. JustWorld International trains and empowers international and local university student volunteers to create and realize these projects, providing them with hands-on experience in promoting social justice. With project sites located in Cambodia, Honduras, Kenya and Senegal, students are working for change in a wide variety of environments on behalf of JustWorld International. For more information on JustWorld International, please visit www.justworldinternational.org.