Season tickets for the 2007 Las Vegas FEI World Cup Finals are available for sale to the general public as of June 16, 2006. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so spectators are advised to purchase early. The FEI World Cup Finals in both show jumping and dressage return to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, on April 18-22, 2007. In 2005, the FEI Budweiser World Cup Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final presented by Offield Farms, were held simultaneously in the same location for the first time in history. Attendance topped 90,000 as equestrian sports fans turned out in record numbers to share in the excitement. After the record-breaking success of the 2005 Finals in Las Vegas, ticket demand for the finals’ return to the U.S. next year is at an all-time high.

“We are seeing an overwhelming demand for World Cup tickets,” said Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events, the producer of the World Cup Finals. “With the opening of ticket sales to the general public, we are urging people to act quickly so that they don’t miss out on all the excitement of next year’s event.”

Season ticket prices for the FEI Jumping World Cup Final are $1,000 for VIP seating, $300 for plaza seating and $150 for balcony seating. For dressage, VIP tickets are $800, plaza tickets are $300 and balcony are $150.

This will mark the fourth time that Las Vegas is hosting the FEI World Cup Finals and the second time ever, following the initial time in Las Vegas in 2005, that the world’s premier annual championships in the two Olympic equestrian disciplines of jumping and dressage are held concurrently.

Started in 1979, the FEI World Cup Jumping Final is an annual international showdown among the world’s best show jumping horses and riders. Approximately 45 riders qualify from 13 leagues around the world. In the 28 finals held through 2006, United States riders have emerged with the most titles, having won the championship seven times. The 2007 event will mark the seventh FEI World Cup Jumping Final to be held in the United States, following Finals in Baltimore, MD, in 1980; Tampa, FL, in 1989; Del Mar, CA, in 1992 and the three in Las Vegas in 2000, 2003 and 2005.

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.

Full event recaps from 2005 and more information on the 2007 Finals can be found online at the official Las Vegas World Cup website at www.worldcuplasvegas.com.


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