The world’s premier city for exciting entertainment Las Vegas, will once again be the backdrop for the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Finals in both jumping and dressage.
After Warsaw (Poland), ‘s-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) one week ago and Burbank (USA) last weekend the finalists for the World Cup Final™ in Las Vegas are getting prepared. Some bad luck in advance prevents Australian finalist Matthew Dowley who arrived in February in Germany at Jürgen Koschel’s stables to prepare for the World Cup™ Final to make the trip to Las Vegas. His mare Cinderella was diagnosed with another growth attached to her lower right eyelid. Veterinarians advised rider Matthew Dowsley and owner Claudia Harper against going to the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in Las Vegas, to avoid further stress and to be able to start surgery. Matthew, Cinderella’s owner Claudia Harper and their support crew are extremely disappointed, but the welfare of the horse is uppermost in their minds.
Bad luck for American Günther Seidel occurred when he had to withdraw his 16 year old grey Bavarian gelding Aragon for the US finals. After having passed the veterinary inspection, Aragon injured himself later in the day when bucking and jumping on his way back to the stables.
For the Swiss team the Olympic qualification and the European Championships in Italy are the first objective for 2007 and Salieri and Silvia Iklé are an essential part of this. Therefore the Swiss Equestrian Federation and Silvia Iklé decided not to compete in Las Vegas. However this cleared the way for Swedish Jan Brink and stallion Briar to compete.
Wild cards for European competitors were granted by the FEI to British Wayne Channon and Portuguese rider Daniel Pinto. Canadian Jacqueline Brooks was also granted a wild card by the FEI Dressage Committee and thus will compete as well.
Steffen Peters, Courtney King and Leslie Morse will be joining Germany-based Catherine Haddad who was already granted with a wild card in Las Vegas as members of the U.S. Dressage Team. The three were the top finishers in the U.S. League Finals for the Dressage World Cupâ„¢, held during the Festival of the Horse in Burbank.
Title defender Anky van Grunsven has refrained from her wild card and stays at home happily together with her new baby daughter Ava Eden and two and a half year old son Yannick Janssen. She is looking forward to meet her dressage colleagues again in the outdoor season.
Isabell Werth having won three qualifiers in Maastricht, Neumünster and ‘s-Hertogenbosch has very strong cards for the win in her hands, partnering Warum Nicht FRH.
Danish medallist Andreas Helgstrand and his mare Blue Hors Matiné will bring in some exciting feminine movement power.
Hanoverian mare Sunrise partnered by Dutch Imke Schellekens-Bartels shared the first position in the final rankings of the European Qualifiers with Isabell Werth. They will no doubt move the hearts and the ears with their original composition especially made by piano virtuoso Wibi Soerjadi.
All European contenders, Americans and Canadians can look forward to a strong and tough Final, bringing the best out of their horses and themselves.
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