longines fei world cuptm jumping 2014/15

PRESS KIT 2014/15
LONGINES FEI WORLD CUPTM
JUMPING 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
Contents
Preview: Dream line-up for Longines Final in Las Vegas
Page 2-4
The Final - Fast Facts
Page 5
Infographic: The World’s Best Partnerships
Page 6
Athlete Entries
Page 7-8
Competition Timetable & FEI TV live schedule
Page 8
FEI Online Resources
Page 9
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Athlete Biographies
FEI SportApp
FEI TV & FEI TV On the Go
FEI Photo Catalogue
Social media: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Hashtags: #FEIWorldCupVegas & #VegasJumpingFinals
Longines Rankings - FEI World Rider Rankings for Jumping
Page 10
Las Vegas Key Contacts
Page 11
About Longines and Equestrian Sport
Page 12
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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Dream line-up for Longines Final in Las Vegas
By Louise Parkes
The line-up for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final in Las Vegas,
USA contains all the ingredients for one of the most exciting ever in the 37-year history
of the world’s most prestigious indoor Jumping tournament.
All sorts of scenarios could play
themselves out once the curtain is
raised at the Thomas & Mack Arena
on 15 April, as the riders and horses
that have worked so hard to earn
their place amongst the stars make
their bid for glory. This is one title
every Jumping rider wants to take,
placing them amongst the greats of
the sport including legendary
partnerships
and
doublechampions Ian Millar and the
mighty Big Ben from Canada, and Great Britain’s John Whitaker and the magical Milton.
Since Austria’s Hugo Simon first punched the air in triumph after victory with Gladstone
at the inaugural finale in Gothenburg (SWE) in 1979, the battle for this trophy has
thrilled audiences all across the globe. And it never fails to spring a few surprises, as
spectators witness previously unexposed talent rising to the challenge of the big
occasion.
And it doesn’t get much bigger than under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Arena
in Las Vegas where the tension and pressure are already near boiling point with only a
few days to go before the action gets underway.
Poignancy
There are all sorts of possibilities for the final outcome, but even before the
competitions begin there is a poignancy about the very presence of one horse-andrider combination. New Zealand’s Katie Laurie can feel rightly proud no matter how her
week turns out, because as she rides into the arena with Kiwi Iron Mark she will be
realising the hopes and dreams of her late friend, Melanie Purcell, whose great ambition
was to see her horse qualify for the Longines Final. Melanie died of cancer three years
ago, but Katie never lost sight of her target, and there will hardly be a dry eye in the
house should this pair have a successful week.
The country with most wins at the Final is Germany with a total of 10, including last
year’s victory for Daniel Deusser who will partner his 2014 champion Cornet d’Amour
once again. There is a relatively small German contingent this year, with Marco
Kutscher, Marcus Ehning and Hans-Dieter Dreher completing the line-up for their
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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country, but Ehning will have a mission all his own. Only four riders have won the
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping title on three occasions, and he is one of them. He
will go into the record books if he can become the first four-time champion, and as one
of the great stylists of the sport, few doubt his ability to do so.
Youngest rider
The youngest rider ever to clinch the trophy was
Canada’s Mario Deslauriers who had just turned 19
when coming out on top with Aramis in Gothenburg in
1984. There are two talented 19-year-olds on the
start-list again this year, Belgium’s Jos Verlooy who
will turn 20 in December and Ireland’s Bertram Allen,
who celebrates his 20th birthday in August. And there
are lots of eyes on the young Irishman, who produced
two stunning wins to challenge for the leadership of the
super-tough Western European League over the winter
months.
Allen’s potential has been clear from the outset of his
career, and despite his lack of years he is already one
of the most feared competitors on the international
circuit. His extraordinary instinct for speed riding
placed him out in front on the opening day of the
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ Jumping
Championship in Normandy (FRA) last summer where he eventually finished seventh
individually. That was no fluke, as he had won the Longines Grand Prix on home soil in
Dublin (IRL) a few weeks earlier and with superb form over the winter he has risen all
the way up to 11th in the Longines world rankings. Together with his wonderful little
grey mare, Molly Malone, he is one to watch out for when the action gets underway in
Vegas.
Top step
Two other men who will also be chasing down that trophy will be Switzerland’s Olympic
champion Steve Guerdat, and Pius Schwizer, who have made it onto the podium in
recent years but not quite managed to secure that top step. And there are eight ladies
amongst the 42 starters from 20 nations. The USA’s Beezie Madden was the last female
champion, pinning Guerdat into runner-up spot in a thriller at Gothenburg two years
ago. And when it comes to female winners the Americans have sent out four of them,
and can claim a strong association with Californian-born three-time champion Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum who flies the German flag.
Of the eight ladies starting at this year’s Final, five fly the stars-and-stripes and Madden
looks a powerful contender once again, following on from her bronze medal individual
finish at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy and a great winter
on the Florida circuit.
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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Fairy-tale finish
But if it’s a fairy-tale finish you want, then look no further than fellow-American Rich
Fellers and his comeback king, the amazing Flexible. Written off three times during his
career due to serious illness and injury, the stallion
has battled back bravely on each occasion, and his
victory at the 2012 Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED)
broke a 25-year drought for his country which
earned him a very special place in the hearts of US
Jumping fans.
Flexible’s latest spectacular recovery resulted in
victory in the FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015
West Coast qualifying series and now, at 19 years
of age, the little Irish-bred horse with his unique
way of going, and his rider who looks like he’s just
stepped off the set of a Hollywood movie, are going
to give it another shot.
If they were to succeed again, then the roof of the
Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas is likely to go
into orbit with the wild delight of the host-country
fans when the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping
2014/2015 Final draws to a close on Sunday 19
April.
©Kit Houghton
And even the on-site fans will be
super stars! Longines Ambassador
of Elegance Stefanie Graf, the
most successful female tennis
player of all time, will be on hand
to present the coveted trophy to
the winner alongside Juan-Carlos
Capelli, Vice President of Longines
and
Head
of
International
Marketing. A truly star-studded
cast in the entertainment capital of
the world!
www.worldcuplasvegas.com
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final - Fast Facts
©Dirk Caremans
Longines became the FEI’s first Top Partner in December
2012. As the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch
of the FEI, the Swiss watchmaker’s partnership covers a
number of major rights packages, including the Longines
FEI World Cup™ Jumping.
World’s oldest indoor Jumping series: 1979
The very first series Final took place in Gothenburg,
Sweden in 1979, and Austria's Hugo Simon was the first
champion. Riding Gladstone, he finished ahead of
America's Katie Monaghan and The Jones Boy in second
place, and America's Norman dell Joio with Allegro and
Ireland's Eddie Macken with Carroll's of Dundalk shared third place.
US riders claimed the trophy seven times for the first nine years of the series,
but there was a 25-year gap before Rich Fellers re-claimed it in 2012 with the
brilliant stallion Flexible. Beezie Madden then made it a back-to-back win for the
US at the 2013 Final with Simon.
Three riders have claimed the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title on three occasions,
Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Marcus Ehning, and Rodrigo Pessoa from
Brazil. Pessoa has the distinction of being the only rider to secure three back-to-back
wins, and he did so with the same stallion, Baloubet du Rouet, between 1998 and 2000.
The defending champion is Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who came out on top with
Cornet d'Amour (above) at the last Final in Lyon, France.
The youngest rider ever to clinch the trophy was
Canada’s Mario Deslauriers, who had just turned
19 when coming out on top with Aramis in
Gothenburg in 1984 (see left).
There are two talented 19-year-olds on the start-list
again this year, Belgium’s Jos Verlooy who will turn 20
in December and Ireland’s Bertram Allen, who
celebrates his 20th birthday in August.
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
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Athlete Entries
The world’s best human and equine athletes are competing at the
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 2014/15 in Las Vegas:
Athlete
Todd Minikus
Laura Kraut
Elizabeth Madden
Jack Towell
Kirsten Coe
McLain Ward
Katherina A. Dinan
Richard Fellers
Karl Cook
Vinton Karrasch
Abdullah Alsharbatly
Bassem Hassan Mohammed
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani
Katie Laurie
Joao Eduardo Ferreira de Carvalho
Daniel Deusser
Steve Guerdat
Bertram Allen
Kevin Staut
Marco Kutscher
Marcus Ehning
Maikel van der Vleuten
Douglas Lindelöw
Jur Vrieling
Hans-Dieter Dreher
Martin Fuchs
Geir Gulliksen
Pénélope Leprevost
Sergio Alvarez Moya
Luca Maria Moneta
Pius Schwizer
Gerco Schröder
Jos Verlooy
Patrice Delaveau
Lucy Davis
Edwina Tops-Alexander
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
Nat
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
KSA
QAT
QAT
NZL
BRA
GER
SUI
IRL
FRA
GER
GER
NED
SWE
NED
GER
SUI
NOR
FRA
ESP
ITA
SUI
NED
BEL
FRA
USA
AUS
Horse(s)
Babalou 41
Nouvelle
Simon
Lucifer V
Czardas 30 & Baronez
HH Carlos Z & Rothchild
Stakorado
Flexible
Jonkheer Z
Coral Reef Baloufino & Coral Reef Follow Me II
Unique
Victoria
First Devision
Kiwi Iron Mark & Frangipanne de Toxandria
Ragtime Rouge
Cornet d'Amour
Albfuehren's Paille
Molly Malone V
Estoy Aqui de Muze HDC & Silvana HDC
Cornet's Cristallo
Singular LS La Silla
VDL Groep Verdi TN N.O.P.
Casello
VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P.
Cool and Easy
PSG Future
Edesa S Banjan
Vagabond de la Pomme
Carlo 273
Connery
Toulago
Glock's Cognac Champblanc
Domino
Orient Express HDC
Barron
Fair Light van't Heike
7
Kristaps Neretnieks
Vladimir Beletskiy
Andis Varna
Chris Sorensen
Manuel Alvarez Ruigalindo
Everardo Hegewisch Diaz Infante
LAT
RUS
LAT
CAN
MEX
MEX
Romanee Cece
Rocketman 2
KS Coradina
Bobby
Spirit Magic
Electric 2
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final
Competition Timetable:
http://www.worldcuplasvegas.com/home/schedule_of_events
*For info: Wednesday, 15 April Warm-up from 9.30am local time
Live FEI TV schedule:
Thursday, 16 April - Final I
Local:18:50 - 21:35 PDT
GMT: 01:50 - 04:35 GMT (Friday 17 April)
CEST: 03:50 - 06:35 CEST (Friday 17 April)
Friday, 17 April - Final II
Local: 18:50 - 22:00 PDT
GMT: 01:50 - 05:00 GMT (Saturday 18 April)
CEST: 03:50 - 07:00 CEST (Saturday 18 April)
Sunday, 19 April - Final III
Local: 11:50 - 15:30 PDT
GMT: 18:50 - 22:30 GMT
CEST: 20:50 - 00:30 CEST
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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FEI Online Resources
Access athlete biographies, download the FEI App, watch FEI TV live & On
the Go, download images free for editorial use and join us on social media:
Simply click the logos below
See App Store & Google Play
#FEIWorldCupVegas
#VegasJumpingFinals
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
Part 1: The Essentials
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Longines Rankings
(FEI World Rider Rankings for Jumping)
Daniel Deusser (GER), the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping defending
champion is also World Number One!
See Longines Rankings Top Ten below & click here for full rankings
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
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Las Vegas - Key Contacts
Las Vegas Media Officer: Marty Bauman
marty@classic-communications.com
+1 508 698 6810
www.worldcuplasvegas.com
FEI Media Team: Grania Willis & Ruth Grundy
Grania Willis, Director Press Relations, grania.willis@fei.org +41 78750 61 42
Ruth Grundy, Manager Press Relations, ruth.grundy@fei.org +41 78750 6145
FEI Broadcast Contacts:
Christian Osterode, Commercial Senior Manager
christian.osterode@fei.org & +41 21 310 4747
Elizabeth Preston, FEI Television Coordinator, MPB TV
elizabeth@mbptv.com & +44 1403 740303
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
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About Longines and Equestrian Sport
Longines has been based at Saint-Imier (SUI) since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise
reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. It has generations
of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of
international sports federations.
Longines’ passion for equestrian sports began in 1878, when
it produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and its
mount.
Over the years, the brand has built strong and long-lasting
links with equestrian sports. In 1912, Longines was proud to
partner with its first Jumping event, the Grande Concurso
Hippico Internacional, in Portugal.
Today, Longines’ involvement in equestrianism includes
Jumping, Endurance and flat racing.
Longines is a member of The Swatch Group S.A., the
world’s leading manufacturer of horological products. With
an excellent reputation for creating refined timepieces, the brand, whose emblem is
the winged hourglass, has outlets in over 130 countries.
For more information on Longines, click
here.
Longines FEI World Cup Jumping™ 2014/15
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