Canadians
Karen Cudmore and Melissa Brown Qualify to Compete at 2003 Budweiser
Show Jumping World Cup Final in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NVNovember 29, 2002After a fierce qualifying
season, Canadian show jumpers Karen Cudmore and Melissa Brown have
qualified to represent Canada in the Budweiser World Cup Final at
the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, April 16-20, 2003.
Cudmore and Brown, teammates on Canadas World Equestrian Games
show jumping team, earned the right to compete by finishing first
and second, respectively, in the World Cup Canadian League standings.
Two-time World Cup champion Ian Millar finished third and is first
alternate for Canada should either Cudmore or Brown wind up not
going.
Cudmore, originally from Victoria, British Columbia, is now based
in Omaha, Nebraska. She topped the standings with a total of 58
points. Cudmores first place finishes at the Blainville World
Cup Qualifier in Quebec and the Concours Hippique de Quebec World
Cup Qualifier also in Quebec gave her a lead in the standings that
she was able to maintain throughout the season.
With her second place finish in the standings, Melissa Brown of
Claremont, Ontario, earned the right to join Cudmore in Las Vegas.
Brown finished the qualifying period with 44 points. At the young
age of 23, Browns trip to Las Vegas will mark her second consecutive
trip to the World Cup Final.
Millar jumped into the third place in the standings with a fourth
place finish in the final qualifying event, the $60,000 World Cup
Grand Prix at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto in November.
Millar finished the qualifying period with a total of 43 points
to make him Canadas alternate for the World Cup Final.
Cudmore,
Brown and Millar came out on top against a field of twenty-three
Canadian League riders who began the race to the Budweiser World
Cup Final last June. Canada has won the World Cup Final three times
since it was first held in 1979. Millar won it twice, 1988 and 1989,
and Mario Deslauriers won it in 1984.
With
the announcement of the Canadian riders who have qualified to compete
in Las Vegas, riders from the 11 other leagues around the world
continue to battle for the right to represent their countries in
the 2003 Final in Las Vegas.
The
World Cup Final is an annual showdown among the top show jumping
riders in the world, as they compete for the prestigious title of
World Cup Champion. This will be the fifth World Cup Final held
in the United States. Previous Finals were held in Baltimore (1980),
Tampa (1989), Del Mar (1992) and Las Vegas (2000). The excitement
of international show jumping competition amid the bright lights,
theatrical shows, fine dining, and shopping found in Las Vegas promises
a grand time for all.
The
World Cup competition takes place over five days starting with a
warm-up class on Wednesday afternoon, April 16. Thursday evening,
April 17, kicks off the main event with the first leg of the World
Cup Final, a heart-stopping speed class run under Table C specificationswith
faults converted into penalty seconds. Riders go all out in the
speed class, knowing that in order to have a chance at a top placing
in the Final standings they need to produce a slick, fast ride.
The
second leg of the Final takes place the following evening, Friday,
April 18. This leg features a lengthy and grueling first-round course
followed by a jump-off round where competitors again show their
mastery of the speed format.
Saturday,
April 19, is a day off from World Cup competition, but not from
top show jumping action as the prestigious Grand Prix of Las Vegas
takes place in the afternoon. Some riders bring multiple mounts
to the Final and use a second horse in the Grand Prix, which also
features World Cup horses not going in Sundays last leg. So
once again spectators have a chance to watch a class filled with
the national and international stars of the sport.
The
grand finale of the weekend is Sunday afternoon, April 20: the final
leg of the Budweiser World Cup Final, a challenging two-round class
run under Table A with a jump-off if needed to break a tie for first
place. The field of starters is winnowed down to only the top riders
who are granted the privilege of returning for the second course.
The rider with the fewest faults emerges as the new World Cup Champion.
A
variety of ticket packages for all price ranges and interest levels
is now available for purchase. All-Session Plaza Level Priority
seating is available for $300 per person. All-Session Balcony Level
Priority seating is available for $150 per person. VIP Packages
are available for $1,000 and include one premier All-Session seat,
access to the private VIP hospitality area complete with complimentary
deluxe food/beverage each day and preferred parking. Daily individual
tickets for the five days of competition range from $10 to $85 depending
on the seating and the session.
To
order tickets or for more information on the excitement of the 2003
Budweiser World Cup Final, please visit www.worldcuplasvegas.com
or call (702) 260-8605.
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