Five Former Champions Head Impressive List of Entries at World Cup

And it all begins tomorrow morning

Las Vegas, NV—April 17, 2007—The world’s best horses and riders head the impressive list of those qualified to compete in the 2007 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals in Jumping and Dressage. The Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals return to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, April 18-22 and the staff at HunterJumperNews will be providing full coverage of the event.

The warm up classes start on Wednesday with full competition beginning on Thurday. Saturday afternoon’s class includes the Hunter Challenge.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, April 18, 2025
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Warm-Up Class I 9:30 am
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Warm-Up Class II 11:45 am
Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Warm-Up Class 1:30 pm

Thursday, April 19, 2025
Rolex FEI World Cup Grand Prix Dressage 12:30 pm
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final I 7:00 pm

Friday, April 20, 2025
Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage B-Final & Open Class 1:00 pm
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final II 7:00 pm

Saturday, April 21, 2025
Las Vegas Grand Prix 1:00 pm*
Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Final 7:00 pm

Sunday, April 22, 2025
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final III 12:00 pm

*Includes the Hunter-Jumper Challenge
**All Times PT; Subject to Change

Four former champions, including Reigning World Cup Champion Marcus Ehning of Germany, head the list of 44 competitors from 17 nations entered in this year’s Jumping Final. Other past winners in the field include Thomas Frühmann of Austria (1992), Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil (1998, 1999, 2000), and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany (2005). In addition to his win last year, Ehning also won the Final in 2003 meaning that the winners of all three previous Jumping Finals held in Las Vegas (2000, 2003, 2005) are back this year.

In Dressage, 1992 Champion Isabell Werth of Germany is the only former champion in this year’s starting line-up. The six-time Olympic Medalist heads the list of 18 qualified riders from 10 nations entered in this year’s World Cup Final. She is competing on Warum Nicht FRH, the mount on whom she placed second to Anky Van Grunsven last year. Van Grunsven, the eight-time World Cup champion from The Netherlands, is skipping this year’s Final after giving birth to a baby daughter last month.

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 eight 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.

April 17th, 2007 | HJN Editor |

Leave a Response (or trackback on your own site)

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Close this window.