copyright: Tish Quirk
Las Vegas, NV – April 21, 2007 – In front of an enthusiastic sold-out crowd at the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals, Isabell Werth of Germany was crowned the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Champion, riding Warum Nicht FRH to a decisive victory at the Thomas & Mack center in Las Vegas.
The crowd of 11,925 was on its feet clapping to the music as Werth and “Hannes” took their victory bow, with Werth staying in the arena longer than usual to soak up every emotional minute. ”It had to be one of the most passionate crowds in the history of the World Cup. I had such a great feeling,” said Werth, winner of four Gold and two Silver Olympic medals. “Today was so easy. I didn’t expect him to be so relaxed and cool. It’s such a fantastic crowd and such a great atmosphere. He was really super today.”
Werth, who also won the World Cup title in 1992, received a dazzling score of 84.250%. Placed first by all five judges, she was awarded two artistic scores over 90.000%, and a perfect 10 for music and interpretation, the only one in the competition to receive such marks.
Imke Schellekens-Bartels of The Netherlands scored 77.950 riding Sunrise to finish second, slightly ahead of the 1996 Olympic Team Bronze medalist, Steffen Peters of the United States who was third on Floriano with 77.800.
“I am extremely excited for this horse who at age 17 still puts so much effort into it,” said Peters. “He was a little bit tired at the end but overall I am very happy with his performance. This was a great night for us and for dressage. That crowd was absolutely amazing.”
A total of 28 riders will participate in the Sunday’s concluding event, the Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final. Points calculated from the combined results of the competitions held on Thursday and Friday have been used to set the starting lineup for Sunday’s final which determines this year’s Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Champion.
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany and Shutterfly will try to recreate the magic of 2005 when they were crowned World Cup Champions in Las Vegas. Michaels-Beerbaum and Steve Guerdat of Switzerland are tied for the lead heading into the final rounds.
Started in 1979, the FEI World Cup Jumping Final is an annual international showdown among the world’s best show jumping horses and riders. The 2007 event will mark the seventh FEI World Cup Jumping Final to be held in the United States, following Finals in Baltimore in 1980, Tampa, FL in 1989, Del Mar, CA in 1992 and the three in Las Vegas in 2000, 2003 and 2005. In the 28 finals held through 2006, United States riders have emerged with the most titles, having won the championship seven times.
First held in 1986, the FEI World Cup Dressage Final has been held in the U.S. only twice, in 1995 in Los Angeles and 2005 in Las Vegas. The Netherlands has dominated the competition, winning seven times, followed by Germany with six. The United States won its first title in 2003 when Debbie McDonald rode Brentina to the Championship. Brentina is owned by Parry and Peggy Thomas of Las Vegas, for whom the Thomas & Mack Center, the venue for the World Cup Finals, is named.
Las Vegas Events, Inc. (LVE), producer of the 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007 FEI World Cup Finals, was founded in 1983. LVE has grown with Las Vegas as the city emerged as one of the world’s top special event and resort destinations. A private, not-for-profit organization, LVE is funded by hotel room tax and serves as the exclusive major special events agency for the city. Since 1991, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented or supported more than 390 events, which have driven more than 3.3 million visitors to the area, resulting in an economic impact of more than $2 billion.
Fans wanting to bring home the excitement of every ride of the 2007 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals will be able to do so with full-coverage DVDs. DVDs of the Dressage and Jumping Finals will be available for each of Friday, Saturday, & Sunday’s Sessions and will include every minute of action from those sessions. The DVDs of each session will be available for sale at the Thomas & Mack Center starting Saturday and will also be available on line.
The Animal Planet television network will televise a special 90-minute broadcast of the 2007 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals on Saturday, May 12 beginning at 9:00 p.m. (EDT). The telecast will include the Finals in both jumping and dressage.
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