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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2007

(Las Vegas, NV) - The show jumpers returned to the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Friday evening for the second round of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final, and it was a blistering jump-off performance by American ex-patriot Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum aboard Shutterfly that left the crowd cheering. In 29.38 seconds, the pair scorched the six-obstacle round ahead of eight others to end the night, leaving all of the efforts in tact.

The rider sat in eighth place after Friday night's round, which was a personal disappointment she admitted. As for the Friday night round, she acknowledged the hard turns presented and challenges built-in to the 17 efforts presented them.

"I was extremely lucky, as I well know," said Michaels-Beerbaum. "And luck is so a part of this game." In the jump-off, she said that she did not see the other seven riders attempt it, but admitted that it did go well for her. In the longest stride of the jump-off, Shutterfly, the horse upon which she won the 2005 World Cup contest in this same arena in Las Vegas, showed "great class." The winning point of her lightening fast round came when she turned back to the next-to-last jump. "I had a very, very forward stride and extremely long distance where Shutterfly showed his class and his trust for me leaving it at that distance." She also said that the night's first course was not an optimum for her horse, as its tight turns were a challenge for her forward jumping mount.

In tonight's class, those riders with clear rounds (under the allotted time) were brought back for a jump-off. Two Americans made the cut. Margie Engle and Hidden Creek's Quervo Gold put in a 32.70 time after going clean and clear in the initial round. Teammate Schuyler Riley and the night's oldest horse, 17-year-old Ilian, also went clean and clear earlier in the evening and put down a time of 33.24 in their jump-off round. Both riders incurred eight faults in the jump-off. Thirty-seven horse-and-rider combinations re-entered the ring with two being eliminated - Poland's Lukasz Jonczyk and Ritus who crashed through a fence and left the rider in the dust, and American rider Rich Fellers.

Fellers, aboard Gyro, went off course after dropping the second and third fences in the triple combination only to lose their way and go off-course. In stead of heading to the oxer at Fence 9, the pair steered to the Rolex planks at Fence 12.

New York's McLain Ward, aboard his Sapphire, were the leaders coming into the round, but downed a rail to take on four faults in a time of 73.99 on the 79 second allowed course. On Friday night, the pair put in a lightening round, one filled with several tight inside turns they chose to conquer. After tonight, Ward sat in two-way tie for fifth place going into Sunday's final two rounds.

Taking the second spot for the Americans in Las Vegas is Schuyler Riley and Ilian, boosted by their jump-off performance. The pair sits at a three-way tie for ninth place. In their first round of the night, the pair went clean and clear in a time of 76.13 seconds. Teammate and fellow jump-off rider, Engle, is a spot back at 12th place. The pair's first round time was 74.49 seconds.

Two other American riders sit in the top 20 - newlywed Molly Ashe Cawley (aboard Kroon Gravin) and Lauren Hough (aboard Casadora) sit at 13th and 15th places respectively. Ashe Cawley downed one rail in the first round to take on four faults, whereas Hough took on eight faults.

The four remaining pairs in the U.S. contingent were seated overall as follows: Christine McCrea and Promised Land are in a two-way tie for 22nd (eight faults, 73.56 seconds); Kate Levy aboard Vent du Nord and teammate Mandy Porter aboard Summer (12 faults, 74.18 seconds) are tied in 24th place; Richard Spooner and Cristallo (four faults, 72.45 seconds) are in a tie for 27th place; and Jill Humphrey aboard Kaskaya (16 faults, 72.71 seconds) are in 29th place.

World Cup show jumping takes a break on Saturday in anticipation of Sunday's final two rounds that will determine the ultimate winner.

Rolex FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle B Final Four riders participated in the B Final held on Friday afternoon. It was a chance for those who did not make the top 12 to show the crowds their freestyle. The four riders represented Great Britain, Portugal and Great Britain, which had two riders. Portugal's Daniel Pinto and Galopin de la Font, a Lusitano, received a warm welcome from the crowd and marched through the ring like a proud bullfighter to the fitting music. In the end, they were the winners of the day's event.

"I was very touched by the reaction of the crowd," said Pinto in a post-ride press conference. Pinto chose music that evoked the feeling of a bullfight, and the crowd was evidently pleased and moved by the selection.

Saturday evening will bring the close to dressage competition at the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in dressage with the exciting and crow-pleasing musical freestyle, or Kur, as it is also known. Earlier in the day, the show jumpers will return for Las Vegas World Cup Grand Prix that will whittle down the number of riders returning for the big show - Sunday's FEI World Cup Jumping Final and the crowning of a new World Cup title holder.

For complete results of today's competitions, go to the USEF homepage - www.usef.org - and click on the Rolex FEI World Cup Finals section in the center of the homepage.

The Animal Planet television network will televise a special 90-minute broadcast of the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals on Saturday, May 12, beginning at 9:00 p.m. (EDT). The telecast will include the Finals in both jumping and dressage.

Brian Sosby

ENDS

For more information, please contact Maria Partlow, USEF Senior Vice President of Marketing/Communications at (859) 225-6941 or mpartlow@usef.org.

END

As the National Governing Body (NGB) of Equestrian Sport, the United States Equestrian Federation(r), Inc. (USEF) is the regulatory body for 28 breeds and disciplines, including our country's international teams competing in the disciplines of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, para-equestrian, reining, show jumping and vaulting. With over 87,000 members, it is the country's largest multi-breed organization and annually license more than 2,800 competitions nationwide. The USEF governs all aspects of competition, including education and licensing of all judges, stewards, and technical delegates who officiate shows.

Vision Statement: The vision of United States Equestrian Federation(r) is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.