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

 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 1

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 double- champions 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-and- rider 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

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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 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.

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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

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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.

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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 Nat Horse(s) Todd Minikus USA Babalou 41 USA Nouvelle Elizabeth Madden USA Simon Jack Towell USA Lucifer V Kirsten Coe USA Czardas 30 & Baronez McLain Ward USA HH Carlos Z & Rothchild Katherina A. Dinan USA Stakorado Richard Fellers USA Flexible Karl Cook USA Jonkheer Z Vinton Karrasch USA Coral Reef Baloufino & Coral Reef Follow Me II Abdullah Alsharbatly KSA Unique Bassem Hassan Mohammed QAT Victoria Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani QAT First Devision Katie Laurie NZL Kiwi Iron Mark & Frangipanne de Toxandria Joao Eduardo Ferreira de Carvalho BRA Ragtime Rouge Daniel Deusser GER Cornet d'Amour Steve Guerdat SUI Albfuehren's Paille Bertram Allen IRL Molly Malone V FRA Estoy Aqui de Muze HDC & Silvana HDC Marco Kutscher GER Cornet's Cristallo Marcus Ehning GER Singular LS La Silla Maikel van der Vleuten NED VDL Groep Verdi TN N.O.P. Douglas Lindelöw SWE Casello Jur Vrieling NED VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P. Hans-Dieter Dreher GER Cool and Easy Martin Fuchs SUI PSG Future Geir Gulliksen NOR Edesa S Banjan Pénélope Leprevost FRA Vagabond de la Pomme Sergio Alvarez Moya ESP Carlo 273 Luca Maria Moneta ITA Connery Pius Schwizer SUI Toulago Gerco Schröder NED Glock's Cognac Champblanc Jos Verlooy BEL Domino Patrice Delaveau FRA Orient Express HDC Lucy Davis USA Barron Edwina Tops-Alexander AUS Fair Light van't Heike

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Kristaps Neretnieks LAT Romanee Cece Vladimir Beletskiy RUS Rocketman 2 Andis Varna LAT KS Coradina Chris Sorensen CAN Bobby Manuel Alvarez Ruigalindo MEX Spirit Magic Everardo Hegewisch Diaz Infante MEX 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

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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

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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

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Las Vegas - Key Contacts

Las Vegas Media Officer: Marty Bauman [email protected] +1 508 698 6810 www.worldcuplasvegas.com

FEI Media Team: Grania Willis & Ruth Grundy Grania Willis, Director Press Relations, [email protected] +41 78750 61 42 Ruth Grundy, Manager Press Relations, [email protected] +41 78750 6145

FEI Broadcast Contacts: Christian Osterode, Commercial Senior Manager [email protected] & +41 21 310 4747

Elizabeth Preston, FEI Television Coordinator, MPB TV [email protected] & +44 1403 740303

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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 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.

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