10 April, 2009
Olympic Rematch Set for 2009 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals in Las Vegas
Anky Van Grunsven and Isabell Werth Head Entry List for Dressage World Cup Final
FEI Press Release
LAS VEGAS, NV - A showdown of Olympic proportions is set for this year's Dressage World Cup Final at the 2009 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals in Las Vegas, as Anky Van Grunsven of The Netherlands and Isabell Werth of Germany head the list of 15 riders from eight countries set to compete.The Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals return to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, April 15-19. The Finals feature World Cup Finals in the two Olympic disciplines of show jumping and dressage.
Van Grunsven, the reigning Olympic, World, and World Cup Champion, is one of the most decorated riders in dressage history. She has won the World Cup Final a record nine times, including last year, and also the individual Gold Medal at the last three Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008). She is also the reigning World Champion, having won that title at the last World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany in 2006.
Joining Van Grunsven in Las Vegas is her longtime rival, Isabell Werth of Germany. Werth has won the World Cup Final on two occasions - 1992 and 2007 in Las Vegas when van Grunsven was home in Holland after having just given birth.
The two rivals have traded places on the podium for years. Each has won eight Olympic medals. When Werth won Gold in 1996, van Grunsven took Silver. In 2000, the results were reversed, with van Grunsven winning Gold. At the 2006 World Equestrian Games, Van Grunsven won Gold in the Grand Prix Freestyle, where Werth won Bronze, and Werth won Gold in the Grand Prix Special, where van Grunsven won silver.
Looking to crack the van Grunsven-Werth hold on the World Cup championship will be 16 other riders including three Americans, led by Steffen Peters of San Diego, CA who finished fourth in last year's Olympic Games in Hong Kong. He is joined by Jan Ebeling of Moorpark, CA and Leslie Morse of Beverly Hills, CA.
The full list of entries for this year's World Cup Final is as follows:
Title Defender:
1 Anky VAN GRUNSVEN, NED IPS Painted Black
Western European League:
2 Isabell WERTH, GER Satchmo
3 Adelinde CORNELISSEN, NED Parzival
4 Hans Peter MINDERHOUD, NED Exquis Nadine
5 Monica THEODORESCU, GER Whisper
6 Jan BRINK, SWE Briar
7 Jeanette HAAZEN, NED Nartan
8 Minna Telde, SWE Don Charly
Central European League:
9 Mical RAPCEWICZ, POL Randon
Pacific League:
10 Heath RYAN, AUS Regardez Moi
North American League:
11 Steffen PETERS, USA Ravel
12 Ashley HOLZER, CAN Pop Art
South America / Asia:
13 Marco BERNAL, COL Diamore
Additional starting places or FEI Wild Cards:
14 Leslie MORSE, USA Kingston
15 Jan EBELING, USA Rafalca
