The 2018 Tevis Cup endurance ride will start before dawn at 5:15 a.m. on July 28 from Robie Equestrian Park (elevation 7,000 feet), south of Truckee, California. Officials expect more than 150 horses and riders to set out on the 100-mile trail.

For 2018, interested parties have two ways to track the field’s progress and positions:

• Real-time progress of riders wearing specialized tracking equipment will be available at trackleaders.com/teviscup18; and
• Tevis will update its website—teviscup.org—with checkpoint data relayed by ham radio operators for each horse and rider.

With numerous past winners in the field, the battle for the Top Ten and the chance to stand for Haggin Cup—presented to the horse judge to be in the most superior condition the day after the ride—consideration will be tight. Past winners include Jeremy and Heather Reynold, Potato Richardson, Tennessee Lane, and Karen Donley. Last year’s runners up, Lindsay Fisher and Monk, are also back to contest this year’s ride.

Many remote followers will be tracking Claire Godwin, DVM, on her 27.5-year-old 14-hand gray Arabian gelding PL Mercury. Should “Merc” complete the ride, he will break his own record set last year for “oldest finisher.” Merc arrived in California fresh off a second-place finish just two weeks ago in The Vermont 100