Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro.
Olympic Bronze Medal U.S Dressage Team to Be Honored; Watch Top Dressage Horses and Riders Compete in U.S. Open Dressage
September 10, 2016 – New York, NY – The Rolex Central Park Horse Show (RCPHS) is pleased to welcome back top dressage riders to Wollman Rink for competition in the U.S. Open Dressage, presented by The Axel Johnson Group, on Friday, September 23, and Saturday, September 24. In a very special appearance, Olympic gold medalists Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro will perform a freestyle demonstration on Saturday evening. On Friday evening, the U.S. Dressage Team, which won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, will be honored in a ceremony to celebrate their accomplishment.
“We can’t wait to see Charlotte and Valegro perform under the New York City skyline at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show,” said International Equestrian Group CEO Mark Bellissimo. “They have millions of fans around the world, and our spectators will not be disappointed by seeing this stunning pair in action in the world’s greatest city.”
Global superstars Charlotte Dujardin OBE of Great Britain and her incredible partner Valegro will perform a freestyle test for spectators and fans of horse sport on Saturday evening. This may be the last chance to see this dynamic duo perform live together in the United States.
At their home Olympic Games in London, Dujardin and Valegro captured the team and individual gold medals. This past month, they repeated their individual gold medal performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and helped Great Britain to a team silver medal.
The pair has won a silver, a bronze, and five gold medals at the European Championships, won two individual gold and team silver medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games, won the FEI World Cup Finals twice, and landed the FEI World Individual Dressage Ranking number one spot.
Top dressage combinations will be competing in the U.S. Open Dressage, presented by The Axel Johnson Group. On Friday at 1:30 p.m. is the U.S. Open Dressage CDI Grand Prix, and on Saturday evening is the $50,000 U.S. Open Dressage CDI Freestyle.
On Friday evening during the NBC Sports Network broadcast of the $216,000 FEI Grand Prix CSI 3*, presented by Rolex, there will be a commemorative ceremony to celebrate the bronze medal achievement of the U.S. Dressage Team at the 2016 Olympic Games for team members Steffen Peters, Laura Graves, Allison Brock, and Kasey Perry-Glass, along with Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover.
“We want to honor the U.S. Dressage Team and help promote the sport of Dressage in the United States,” said Bellissimo. “Antonia Johnson and Fritz and Claudine Kundrun have been huge supporters of Dressage in this country, and this event, and we are hopeful that we can showcase these great horses and riders in this world-renowned destination. We appreciate and value their support.”
Dressage sponsor, The Axel Johnson Group, is well known in the dressage world through Antonia Axson Johnson, Chairman and Owner of The Axel Johnson Group, who is a long-time supporter of equestrian sport. The Axel Johnson Group is a fifth generation family business that employs more than 20,000 people around the world. Equestrian sport has been a family passion and legacy for Johnson for more than 100 years.
Don’t miss seeing Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, plus the U.S. Dressage Team and top dressage horses and riders at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show. Tickets are selling fast! To get yours, go to http://bit.ly/29LwkkD.
The official hotel is the JW Marriot Essex House and special rates are available for a limited time at http://bit.ly/1qV3FBt. In the “Please Select Guest Type” box, select “Attendee” when making a reservation.
About Rolex Central Park Horse Show
Launched in September 2014, Rolex Central Park Horse Show is the first-ever outdoor, multi-day equestrian sporting event in New York City, showcasing some of the best show jumpers and dressage riders in the world as they vie for top prizes against a backdrop of skyscrapers in one of the world’s most iconic venues. As the event founder, Mark Bellissimo is the CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions and International Equestrian Group LLC; Managing Partner of Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEF), Tryon Equestrian Partners and Colorado Equestrian Partners; and Publisher of The Chronicle of The Horse magazine. The Rolex Central Park Horse Show will feature five days of multi-discipline equestrian sport and performances, ranging from Arabians and Dressage to Hunters and Show Jumping. The Rolex Central Park Horse Show will also host the second annual U.S. Open in the following categories: Jumpers; Dressage; Hunters; U25 Jumpers; and Arabians. For more information, visit www.centralparkhorseshow.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/CPhorseshow and follow @cphorseshow on Twitter and Instagram.