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It’s the Final Countdown for the 2016 FEI World Cup Finals in Gothenburg

Athletes Patrik Kittel from Sweden and his Australian wife, Lyndal Oatley, conducted the draw for Dressage which will get the FEI World Cup™ 2016 Finals underway at the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden. (FEI/Liz Gregg)

Gothenburg (SWE), 24 March 2015 – There is huge excitement ahead of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2016 Finals which get underway at the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden on Friday, 25 March. After a long and testing qualifying season, a total of 36 riders from 17 nations will line out in the battle for the coveted Longines Jumping title while 18 competitors from 10 countries will be contesting the Reem Acra Dressage crown.

And both Finals are ground-breaking, as Zhiwen (Daniel) Zhao will be the very first athlete to represent China in the Jumping Final while Judy Reynolds will be the first rider to fly the Irish flag in Dressage.

40th anniversary

Gothenburg Horse Show celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and as the venue for the very first FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final back in 1979 it is a city that holds a very special place in the hearts of the athletes. It is also a very special venue for FEI First Vice-President John Madden who spoke tonight of his personal connection to the city and its world-famous Horse Show.

“I came here as a groom for the very first World Cup Final back in 1979, working for Katie Monahan who finished second. And the last time the Final was held in Gothenburg (2013) I was the husband of the winning rider, Beezie Madden! Sweden, and Gothenburg, is a like a second home,” he said.

Dressage gets things off to a start with Denmark’s Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and JoJo Az first to ride down the centre line at 12.30 local time. At tonight’s stylish draw party staged in Gothenburg’s Concert Hall, the Dressage draw was conducted by Swedish star Patrik Kittel and his wife Lyndal Oatley who will represent Australia over the coming days. And Kittel had the broadest of smiles when he called out his own name out for the optimal no. 18 spot. Last to go, he will know exactly the score he has to beat when he takes his turn at 15.35.

And that score may well be the one laid down by The Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud who recently concluded the Western European League on a winning note. “My horse (Glock’s Flirt) is feeling very good; he won the last qualifier in Den Bosch and had a few days off. This is an amazing show in Gothenburg, you always want to be at your best at the World Cup Final and my horse is in great shape,” he explained. When asked what it would mean to take the title on Sunday he responded, “I don’t want to think about it, although I’m really going for it! It’s very exciting because there are several riders good enough to take the victory here, so I think it will be about the form on the day,” he said.

Jumping draw

The Jumping draw was conducted by the sole Swedish contender Henrik von Eckermann and by America’s Rich Fellers who claimed the title in 2012. Australia’s Edwina Alexander was drawn in the no. 1 spot, von Eckermann will be ninth to go and Fellers, who will contest yet another Final with the amazing stallion Flexible who has now turned 20 years of age, will be 24th into the arena.

Second-last of the 36 starters will be Frenchwoman Penelope Leprevost while the favoured last-to-go spot went to 2015 champion Steve Guerdat from Switzerland.

Guerdat is really excited about defending the title he won in dramatic circumstances with Albufuehren’s Paille in Las Vegas, USA last year. “The World Cup Final is always a competition I look forward to, and I love this show in Gothenburg,” he said tonight. When asked if he thought he could make it a back-to-back double of Longines titles he said he was “not thinking that far ahead! I was blessed I could win it last year, I always have great results in the Final but I have a new horse (Corbinian) this time and we will have to see where we are. I have him two years but he is still only 11 and I’m not sure how he will react after going fast on the first day. But he has quality and I trust him and I hope for the best!” said the man who is also reigning Olympic champion.

Record

Drawn 21st, Germany’s Markus Ehning will post a new FEI World Cup™ Jumping record if he can claim the title for a fourth time. When asked this evening what doing just that would mean to him, Ehning modestly replied, “Every win is a special win – first I just want to go in the arena and see where we are. Being at the World Cup Final is a big goal, and I’m looking forward to being on the podium on Monday!” he said.

Fellers, meanwhile, believes he’s in with as good a chance as anyone else. “I feel as good as ever I have felt at any World Cup and my horse feels super. I’m at a point in my career where I just disregard age and go with the feel and at the moment that’s as good as ever so I’m optimistic!” he said.

It’s going to be a thriller from start to finish, so don’t miss a hoof-beat. If you can’t be there, then watch all the action LIVE on FEI TV, www.feitv.org.

Facts and Figures:

Things to know about the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final:

All horses passed the first veterinary inspection.

36 riders from 17 nations – Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and USA – will compete for the coveted crown of indoor Jumping.

Course designer is Spain’s Santiago Varela.

Austria’s Hugo Simon was the first winner of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title at the inaugural Final in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1979. Riding Gladstone, he came out on top in a two-way jump-off against America’s Katie Monahan and The Jones Boy.

This is the 14th time for the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final to take place in Gothenburg.

Gothenburg Horse Show celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2016.

Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker holds the record for the greatest number of attendances at the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final. He competed on 23 occasions but never won the title.

Defending champion is Olympic individual gold medallist Steve Guerdat from Switzerland who galloped to victory with Albufuehren’s Paille at the 2015 Final in the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, USA.

Germany’s Marcus Ehning (Cornado NRW) is bidding to become the first-ever rider to win the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title for the fourth time.

The Ground Jury for this year’s Final consists of: Jon Doney (GBR) President, Sven Holmberg (SWE), Anna Lindqvist (SWE), Annika Pihl (SWE) and Freddy Boll (SUI).

Foreign Technical Delegate is Louis Konickx (BEL).

There are three competitions to decide the Longines FEI World Cup™ 2015/2016 champion:

Competition 1 is a Speed class, with seconds added for knockdowns.

Competition 2 is one round against the clock, and one jump-off which is also against the clock. Results are then converted into points which are carried into the third and last competition.

Competition 3 is two rounds of jumping over a Grand Prix course of fences between 1.50m and 1.60m in height. The top 30 horse-and-rider combinations are eligible to compete but only 20 go through to the second round. The leading rider after the first two competitions goes last, and starts on a zero score.

Total prizemoney for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final is €1.3m.

Things to know about the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final:

A total of 18 horses were presented at the first veterinary inspection yesterday and all were passed fit to compete.

Competitors from 10 nations – Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland – are taking part.

The first competition, the Grand Prix, takes place on Friday 25 March, beginning at 12.30 local time.

The new champion will be crowned following the second competition, the Grand Prix Freestyle, which take place at 1.00 pm on Sunday 27 March.

Total prizemoney for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2016 Final is €250,000.

The Ground Jury consists of Gustav Svalling (SWE) President, Susanne Baarup (DEN),  Evi Eisenhardt (GER), Anne Gribbons (USA), Susan Hoevenaars (AUS), Irina Maknami (RUS), Mariette Sanders van Gansewinkel (NED) Reserve 1, Jean-Michel Roudier (FRA).

Foreign Technical Delegate, Jennie Loriston-Clarke (GBR), Chief Steward Geir Madland (NOR).

The Judges Supervisory Panel consists of Uwe Mechlem (GER) Henk van Bergen (NED) Linda Zang (USA)

Denmark’s Anne-Grethe Jensen was the first winner of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final. Riding Marzog, she pinned Great Britain’s Christopher Bartle and Wily Trout into runner-up spot while Switzerland’s Christine Stuckelberger finished third with Rubelit von Unkelruf at the inaugural event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 1986.

The Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2014 and 2015 champions, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro from Great Britain, will not defend their title this year.

This is the 31st FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final.

The startlists for the first leg of each event can be found here.

Rider biographies – Jumping and Dressage: view online and download from www.fei.org/biographies or consult the FEI Database for all horse/rider details here: https://data.fei.org/Default.aspx.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Gothenburg:

Lotta Amnestål
Press Officer
lotta.amnestal@ridsport.se
+46 709 79 56 35

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
grania.willis@fei.org
+41 787 506 142

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

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