Williams and Ainslie tied in Argo Group Gold Cup Qualifying

Hamilton, Bermuda (October 8, 2013) – In Argo Group Gold Cup action Tuesday, Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion and current leader on the Tour, has had a top day in Group 2 racing. He stands undefeated at 4-0. Ben Ainslie (GBR), fresh from the super fast, high flying Oracle AC72, is locked at the top with his countryman at 4-0 as well. They will meet Wednesday on the course.

From the first race of the first flight in Argo Group Gold Cup, penalty flags flew fast and furious. The biggest penalty was on Bermuda’s Lance Fraser (BER) Digicel Business Match Racing in his first race. He fouled Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing after rounding the weather mark, got a yellow flag, a red flag and another yellow before getting a DSQ black flag for not taking his penalty turn promptly. That was a tough end to his first race.

The 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup is a minefield of talent: The top 11 ISAF Match Race sailors plus Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR) BART, Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX, and Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa who are outside of that group, have the talent and past history to be ranked near the top. Both groups are filled with past Gold Cup winners and lots of young talent. Every win in Bermuda has and will be tough.

In Stage 1 there are 11 four-race flights per group and one more one-race flight for each group. That’s a lot of opportunity to win or loose. Only the top four in each group move on to the Quarter Finals.

To say any one team is winning in either group would be a guess at this point since the round robin isn’t half finished. But some teams are doing better than others.

In Group, 1, Adam Minoprio has 3 wins, Bruni and Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team are on 2 wins and no losses, but have sailed one less race because of a bye and boat damage for Berntsson, and a bye plus a boat damage problem for Bruni. The match they missed was to be against each other. That is coming up later. Simone Farrarese (ITL) Ferrarese Racing Team has 2-1. Defending champion Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone has a 2-2 record.

Group 2 started racing later than expected because of repairs to boats damaged in the heavy morning squalls. They got five full flights in on Tuesday while the first group only got in three and a half flights. Group 1 had been delayed earlier because of damage and a torrential downpour and high winds from a passing squall. For racing, winds were 15-18 out of the South Southeast with higher gusts here and there.

Racing begins again at 9:00 ADT Wednesday with racing in Group 2. Group 1 races in the afternoon. The Round-Robin concludes Thursday morning if racing goes as planned.

Wednesday – Winds southeasterly 10 to 15 knots, veering southerly 8 to 12 knots in evening…

Thursday – Winds south-southwesterly 8 to 12 knots, veering southwesterly 5 to 10 knots later…

Friday – Winds southwesterly 5 to 10 knots…

Saturday – Winds southwesterly 5 to 10 knots, becoming variable 5 knots later

Video highlights available during this years Argo Group Gold Cup

Click here to watch the latest video on the Argo Group Gold Cup

Visit Bermuda for the Argo Group Gold Cup

October is a perfect month to vacation in Bermuda and the Argo Group Gold Cup is a showcase event culminating in the finals weekend October 12th-13th. Special rates for Gold Cup week are available at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel. http://www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/

This year will mark the 63^rd staging of the King Edward VII Gold Cup, with previous winners including some of the greatest names ever to match race. Since the event was reformatted to be an event under the Match Racing Association in 1985, multiple winners include Chris Dickson (NZL), Russell Coutts (NZL), Peter Gilmour (AUS), and Ben Ainslie (GBR).

The 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup runs from October 8th with Finals scheduled for October 13th. Spectator friendly racing is held in Hamilton Harbour, adjacent to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Marina, a spectacular attraction for tourists and Bermuda residents alike.

The Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate fifth stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, in which the teams compete for the ISAF Match Racing World Championship. Match racing for The King Edward VII Gold Cup is recognized as one of the classic heritage events on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.

Email: talbot@talbotwilson.com

Lisa Scannell VP – Mkting & Communications

Email: lscannell@argogroupus.com

Alpari World Match Racing Tour Contact:

Mobile: +44 7711 130886

Alpari World Match Racing Tour Press Information:

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), is an international provider of specialty proper and casualty insurance, reinsurance and managed risk solutions. The companies that make up Argo Group share a firm commitment to working together with our independent agents and wholesale and retail brokerage partners to deliver innovative products for niche markets.

Argo Group clients and shareholders alike benefit from our deep understanding of the markets we serve, our ability to manage through all insurance cycles, our well developed and prudent risk management practices and controls, and our track record of growth and profitability.

Through our operating companies, we offer a comprehensive line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims-handling needs of our clients in four business segments: Excess and Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200 at Lloyd’s.

At Argo Group, we’ve built a company with a fundamental purpose of securing the future and a straightforward vision to achieve outstanding results realized together.

Organization-wide, our strategy—easy to define and rewarding to deploy—is to grow hand-in-hand with our clients.

Although Bermuda is an Atlantic island paradise in its own right, many people mistakenly believe Bermuda is part of the Caribbean. In fact, the island rests hundreds of miles north of the Bahamas, a mere 650 miles east of North Carolina. Flights from New York and other eastern US cities are less than two hours. From London, direct flights are about seven hours.

All of Bermuda fits in a cozy 20.7 square miles surrounded by 75 miles of dramatic coastline. Bermuda is famous for hospitality and sparkling pink-sand beaches. Activities include racquet sports, dramatic golfing, spectacular spas, and cultural festivals in all seasons. Of course Bermuda is famous for sailing as a destination for ocean races from Marion, Newport, and Charleston, for Cruising rallies for other East Coast ports and as host to many national and international competitive events.

From chic international cuisine in posh dining rooms to conch stew and local Rockfish at a roadside café, we have a taste to please every palate and budget. While Bermudians do value island tranquility, we like to have a bit of fun, too. From swanky clubs to friendly neighborhood pubs, these after-hours establishments satisfy every thirst. Cocktail in hand and warm sea breeze at your back, set sail on one of our evening cruises along our famous coastline.

For details on all the excitement and events Bermuda has to offer, call your travel agent or visit us at http://www.bermudatourism.com

The Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring seven World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status.

The Alpari World Match Racing Tour awards over US$1.72million in prize money with points awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the “ISAF Match Racing World Champion”. The prize fund includes a US$500,000 overall Tour Bonus for the top teams in the Championship.

Events take place in identically supplied racing yachts to place the focus on teamwork and skill. Racing takes place close to the shore so that spectators and fans can follow the racing in a virtual on-the-water stadium.

Media and television highlights coverage reaches in excess of 183 countries around the world distributed by IMG. For more information, visit www.wmrt.com

2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour Calendar:
Stage 1: May 15 – 20 – Match Race Germany, Langenargen, Germany
Stage 2: May 28 – June 2 – Korea Match Cup, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Stage 3: July 1 – 6 – Stena Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden
Stage 4: August 6 – 11 – Chicago Match Cup, Chicago, USA
Stage 5: Oct 7 – 13 – Argo Group Gold Cup, Hamilton, Bermuda
Stage 6: Dec 2 – 7 – Monsoon Cup, K.Terengganu, Malaysia

2013 Tour Card Holders:
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar

The association of Alpari companies (“Alpari”) serves global clients from offices in over 20 countries. Locations include London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai (Representative Office), Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt.

Alpari is more than a forex broker, it’s a complete trading service, offering cutting-edge trading technology and free research and training packages. Alpari provides forex trading services worldwide on a range of cutting-edge trading platforms, including the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Alpari has been working with the developers of MT4 since the beginning and that is why we are able to offer a unique trading package on the platform. Trading accounts start from USD200 and traders can use software programmes called Expert Advisors to automate their trading.

Alpari has a dedicated global sponsorship programme because the company believes in sharing its passion with individuals, teams and supporters who value excitement, determination and loyalty as highly as we do. Our global sponsorship portfolio helps us reach out to traders and potential traders in key regions around the world.

Forex, spread bets and CFDs are leveraged products. They may not be suitable for you as they carry a high degree of risk to your capital and you can lose more than your deposits. You should ensure you understand all of the risks.