Las Vegas, NV – In a city where glitz and glam are the standard, our United States riders are preparing to shine with the best of them at the 2005 FEI World Cup Finals in Show Jumping and Dressage. Now that official warm-ups and open training have concluded for both disciplines, our skilled equestrians are depending on two final touches before the competition begins—a good night’s rest, and luck of the draw for a good start position.

Near sell-out crowds promise to cheer from the sidelines at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center; to date, ticket sales have reached an estimated 100,000, purchased by fans from all 50 states and from countries across the world. Even at Wednesday’s warm-up, thousands filed in to cheer for their favorite riders; if nothing else, it comes across as a good omen for crowd attendance in days to come.

Opening ceremonies for the Finals commence Thursday, with the FEI World Cup Dressage Grand Prix scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and the FEI Budweiser World Cup Jumping Final I to follow at 7:00 p.m. A total of 16 U.S. riders will face off against some of the world’s best equestrians for the two titles—12 Americans on the show jumping side, and four in the dressage ring, including 2003 World Cup Dressage Final title holder Debbie McDonald, riding Brentina.

To see the latest results from the 2005 FEI World Cup Finals, or to see our competition updates throughout the week, log on to www.usef.org/worldcupfinals~~~For more information, please contact Sarah Lane, Public Relations Manager at (859) 225-6974 or via email at [email protected]. USEF press releases are available on our web site – www.usef.org.