Las Vegas, USA, CSI-W Final 20-24/4
Söndag
Meredith Michaels Beerbaum vann Världscupen i Las Vegas
Till tonerna av Beach Boys Californian Girls red kaliforienfödda Meredith Michaels Beerbaum ärevarv på vad som en gång var hennes hemmaplan efter att ha vunnit Världscupen i hoppning i Las Vegas.
Efter ett nedslag i första rundan var hon inte längre ensam i ledningen men själv hade hon inte så noga koll på hur marginalerna såg ut.
- Jag hade varit lyckligare om Meredith rivit, skämtade dagens tvåa Michael Whitaker.
- Jag visste faktiskt inte att det var så tätt, jag gjorde min grej och försökte låta bli att titta efter hur det gick för konkurrenterna, förklarade Meredith Michaels Beerbaum.
Det var oerhört tätt i toppen bland de tiotalet främsta när finaldagen inleddes men det blev snart omkastningar i resultatlistan.
Rodrigo Pessoa var en av favoriterna till segern och delade ledningen med Meredith inför sista rundan, men med två nedslag från den annars säkre Baloubet du Rouet spolierade chanserna till en fjärde världscupseger.
Nick Skelton kom in alldeles för snabbt i sista tvåkombinationen och föll av när han och Arko III fick problem med B-hindret, Lars Nieberg fick en oväntad vägran och Ludger Beerbaum hade inte bara två nerslag utan också ett tidsfel.
När alla ritter var mer eller mindre lyckat genomförda stod alltså Meredith Michaels Beerbaum med Shutterfly som segrare, Michael Whitaker med Portofino var tvåa och på delad tredjeplats kom Marcus Ehning med Gitania och Lars Nieberg med Lucie.
Michael Whitaker har tävlat en del i USA innan finalen och Portofino har tillbringat senaste månaden i Florida.
- Jag tror solen gjort henne gott och hon verkar trivas med värmen. Och vem skulle inte göra det, menar Michael.
Nästa år går Världscupen i Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, och tävlingarna i Las Vegas avslutades med att FEIs flagga högtidligen överlämnades från arrangören i Las Vegas till representanter från Kuala Lumpur.
Totalt efter 3 omg: 1) Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Tyskland, Shutterfly 4 fel 2) Michael Whitaker, Storbritannien, Portofino 7 3) Lars Nieberg, Tyskland, Lucie 9 3) Marcus Ehning, Tyskland, Gitania 9 5) Kimberley Frey, USA, Marlou 10 6) Steve Guerdat, Schweiz, Isovlas Pialotta 11
Världscupen omgång 3: 1) Michael Whitaker, Storbritannien, Portofino 1+1 2) Jessica Kurten, Irland, Quibell 0+4, Schuyler Riley, USA, Ilian 4+0, Steve Guerdat, Schweiz, Isovlas Pialotta 4+0, Kimberley Frey, USA, Marlou 4+0, Marcus Ehning, Tyskland, Gitania 4+0, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Tyskland, Shutterfly 4+0 8) Lars Nieberg, Tyskland, Lucie 6+0
Publiksiffror
Onsdag öppen träning
Hoppning: 8 569
Dressyr: 9420
Torsdag Grand Prix Dressyr, Hoppning omgång 1
Dressyr: 8 548
Hoppning: 9 377
Fredag B-final dressyr, Hoppning omgång 2
Dressyr: 9 695
Hoppning: 10 315
Lördag Grand Prix hoppning, Final Världscupen dressyr
Hoppning: 9 997
Dressyr: 11 561
Söndag Final Världscupen hoppning
Hoppning. 10 127
Kapacitet: 12 599 besökare/föreställning
Totalt: 87 609 besökare
Internationell rapport
Meredith works her magic to perfection
Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum claimed the 27th FEI World Cup Jumping title in Las Vegas today where the closing stages kept spectators on the edges of their seats.
In the end it was a clear-cut victory but the 31 year old rider was obliged to compete under the greatest pressure and she held firm when the going got really tough.
She is the first woman to claim the trophy since Katharine Burdsall steered the Natural to success 18 years ago, in 1987, and the fourth woman ever to take the title. All the lady champions prior to this competed for the USA - Melanie Smith in 1982, Leslie Burr Lenehan in 1986 and Katharine Burdsall the following year.
Somehow today's title had Meredith's name written all over it.
Winner of the Top Ten Final last December and the first woman ever to hold the World No. 1 ranking she was feeling really at home all week as her family and friends had poured in from her home-place in California and they got exactly the result they were hoping for.
"This is my first individual title and is definitely the biggest win of my career" she said afterwards, "its a great privilege to be amongst the great names on this trophy - I'm very proud today" she added.
In the lead after the first two legs of the final on Thursday and Friday she went into today's two-round decider on a zero score but it was not all going to be plain sailing.
Course designer Guilherme Jorge produced two more masterpieces - "the first round was technical but not big" he explained, "but in the second round where there were less jumps I gave them a bigger test - I knew we now had only the best of the best left in the running and I built the track to test their scope" he pointed out.
Once again the contours of the small Las Vegas arena took their toll as riders found themselves severely punished for awkward approach lines and unbalanced turns.
Lying 10th, America's Kimberley Frey and Marlou were one of several partnerships to run into trouble at the combination placed along the ringside, hitting the front element for four faults, but next in, Germany's Ludger Beerbaum and his lovely young stallion Couleur Rubin, were foot-perfect until making a mistake at the very last of the 13 fences.
Britain's Michael Whitaker and Portofino picked up just a single time fault however and this rocketed them up the leaderboard when Markus Beerbaum (Constantin) and Marcus Ehning (Gitania) each faulted at the treble but Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet stayed right in the contention with a classy clear.
First-day winner Ludo Philippaerts dropped out of it with three mistakes from Parco and the leaderboard was further altered when both of the Germans lying in second spot added to their scores.
Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst and Candy hit the vertical at fence six while Lars Nieberg's Lucie stopped at the first element of the treble before completing and when Meredith and Shutterfly also fell victim here, hitting the final element, it was looking wide open again going into round two.
Now Meredith was sharing pole position with Rodrigo, both carrying four faults when all rounds of jumping to date were taken into account while Michael Whitaker was just two faults further adrift in third spot ahead of Alois in fourth carrying 7 faults and Lars Nieberg, Marcus Ehning, Markus Beerbaum, Ludger Beerbaum and Nick Skelton lining up behind them in fifth spot all carrying 9 faults each.
Jorge's second round track was designed to test horses in several ways - a short-distance double of verticals at fence four, a long-distance double of big oxers at six and a difficult line from the vertical at seven to the following double at eight were always going to prove a challenge and Skelton was unseated when his stallion Arko did not make the distance between seven and eight and jammed on the brakes, throwing his rider over his head.
Constantin hit both elements of the big double at six to drop him out of it but Gitania managed to bring Marcus Ehning home clear despite rattling a number of poles along the way.
Lucie was clear for Lars Nieberg this time but Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst was demoted when Candy hit both the second element of six and front pole of eight, also picking up a time fault.
Whitaker however produced another great round from Portofino, adding just one more time fault to his tally, and under this kind of pressure that was always going to keep him in the frame so when Pessoa's Baloubet kicked out the front element of the tight double at four and then also clipped the following vertical the British rider knew he had the World Cup trophy in his hands if Meredith faltered when last into the ring.
His brother John claimed the coveted title with the great Milton in both 1990 and 1991 and this is one trophy Michael would very much like to hold for himself.
So when Meredith cantered into the arena she could afford only time penalties. Whitaker now had a total of seven faults while she carried four and there was little margin for error but Shutterfly never put a foot wrong.
Riding her lines to perfection, holding balance on her turns and both moving forward and holding back at just the right moments she steered a copybook round and the crowd rose to their feet as she galloped through the finish knowing that she now had the world at her feet.
"I was nervous after having the fence down in the first round but Shutterfly is in the best form ever and I just knew it was going to be my day today" she said afterwards.
She pointed out that placing sixth in the first speed leg seems to be opportune as the statistics show that riders have consistently won from this position. "Last year Bruno was sixth on day one and also won on the second day like I did, so there must be something in that" she pointed out. She normally relies on her husband Markus during her major competitions but it wasn't possible this time because he was competing in the same class and was drawn close to her today.
"Markus is the most supportive person to me, my success is his, but today I felt his absence" Meredith explained, but this lady rider proved that she has what it takes to make it on her own.
And there was romance in the air as the 27th World Cup Jumping final drew to a close in the Las Vegas yesterday evening. Olympic champion Anky van Grunsven, who took the FEI World Cup Dressage title just 24 hours earlier, married her long-time partner and trainer Sjef Janssen in a special Las Vegas wedding ceremony within an hour of the finish of the show jumping finale - a fitting end to a great week of sport in a city that has greeted equestrian sport with colossal enthusiasm.
"This week has been tremendous fun" Meredith concluded, "we've all really enjoyed Las Vegas, the crowds have been incredible and it has been an honor and pleasure for us all to compete here".
Fredag
Varldscupfinalen i hoppning omg 2: 1) Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Tyskland, Shuuterfly 0+0 32,56 2) Alois Pollmann Schweckhorst, Tyskland, Candy 0+0 32,62 3) Steve Guerdat, Isovlas Pialotta 0+0 33,16
Stallningen Varldscupen hoppning efter 2 omg: 1) Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Tyskland 0 straff 2) Alois Pollmann Schweckhorst, Tyskland 3 2) Lars Nieberg, Tyskland 3 4) Ludo Philipparts, Belgien 4 4) Rodrigo Pessoa, Brasilien 4 6) Ludger Beerbaum, TYskland 5 6) Marcus Ehning, Tyskland 5 6) Markus Beerbaum, Tyskland 5 6) Michael Whitaker, Storbritannien 5
Meredith turns on the magic in Vegas
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum moved into the driving seat at the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas tonight when winning the second final competition with a superb performance from Shutterfly.
German riders are now completely in control of affairs with Meredith heading the leaderboard followed by Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst and
Lars Nieberg in joint-second position while first-day victor, Belgium's Ludo Phillipaerts, lies fourth alongside Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa going
into Sunday's third and final leg in which 27 of the 41 starters will line out.
Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and show jumping here takes on a whole new dimension with crowd participation creating
an electric atmosphere. Horses need nerves of steel to cope with the wall of sound that greets their every move but tonight's top performers all rose to the occasion with style.
For the early runners the challenge proved too great as Saudi Arabia's Abdullah al Aharbatly (Neuville), New Zealand's John Cottle (Telegraph) and Japan's Akihiro Okabe (Lord Lester) were all eliminated in quick succession but nine horse and rider combinations found all the answers to Guilherme Jorge's first round track to go through to a truly thrilling jump-off. Thursday night's winners, Ludo Philippaerts and
Parco, missed out here when the Belgian rider presented his horse to the vertical three from home at an extremely awkward angle resulting in an expensive four faults.
Fences were considerably higher in this second of the three tests that will decide the eventual champion and, once again, the triple
combination proved the bogey of the day but there were problems everywhere on the 13-fence first-round track which could be ridden with
a variety of stride distances to achieve a clear result.
Frenchman Hubert Bourdy was first into the jump-off with Eve des Etisses and looked like he was about to set a really tough target until
hitting the last, a flimsy railway gate that had to be treated with the utmost caution.
There were just seven jumping efforts this time out and horses were clearly enjoying the greater freedom of movement provided by the extra space after the clutter of their earlier rounds.
Steve Guerdat set the first true target with a superb run from the 14 year old mare Isovlas Pialotta who galloped bravely to stop the clock
with a clear round in 33.16 seconds and the 22 year old Swiss rider maintained the advantage when Britain's Nick Skelton and Arko arrived
too deep to the penultimate oxer, picking up four faults, and Germany's Ludger Beerbaum steered his young stallion Couleur Rubin home more than a half-second slower.
At just nine years of age however and with a jumping technique that is nothing short of sensational this horse looks to be another super-star
in the making.
Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst was fifth into the ring and changed the order in determined style when bringing Candy home in 32.62 seconds.
This 13 year old mare has been growing in confidence, particularly during this winter season, and Alois said last night "previously when I
was facing a big challenge I have underestimated Candy but she has proved to me many times that she can do it on a good day - yesterday
she would have won if she had not had one rail down in the speed class".
His time of 32.62 seconds was now the one to chase and Britain's Michael Whitaker was doing just that with Portofino when hitting the
last fence but Lars Nieberg and Lucie came home clear in 34.09 seconds to line up behind his fellow-countryman in second place.
With just two left to go the tension was intense as Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet entered the ring but the fences just did not seem to come up just right for the Brazilian partnership and a single mistake in the good time of 33.12 seconds left them vulnerable so now only
Meredith was left to challenge for the lead.
Having finished sixth the previous night the American-born German rider knew what she needed to do to keep in the frame and, having made the first-round track look very easy indeed, Shutterfly simply soared around the course once again, leaving the spectators gasping with
delight as he shaved a fraction off Candy's target-time to break the beam in 32.56 seconds.
With the results from the first two days of competition now converted into points Meredith goes into Sunday's finale on a zero score but has
less than a fence in hand ahead of her fellow-countrymen Pollmann-Schweckhorst and Nieberg who carry three points while Ludo
Philippaerts and Rodrigo Pessoa carry four.
She looked to have it in the bag at the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Milan last year but Shutterfly made an uncharacteristic error and had
to settle for runner-up spot so she knows that nothing is certain until the final fence has been jumped.
"Anything can happen on Sunday" she said, "but my horse is in the best form of his life and he has all the ability in the world". She said
she would not be "losing any sleep over what the course-builder might come up with" - "I have huge support here from the crowd and from old friends and my family who have come to see me so we'll just wait and see what happens - we'll see where the chips fall".
The first woman ever to become No. 1 rider in the World Rankings, winner of last year's Top-Ten final and right at the top of her game
she looks poised to become the first lady rider to claim a major title for many years. Born in California she is feeling right at home in Las
Vegas and the chips all seem to be piled up in her favour. But show jumping is a notoriously unpredictable sport and all of the top five
riders have victory in their sights - there is no room for either error or complacency as the final moments of the 2004/2005 FEI World Cup
Jumping series are played out under the bright Las Vegas lights this weekend.....
Torsdag
Ludo leads the way in Las Vegas
Belgium's Ludo Philippaerts took the early lead at the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas tonight when winning the opening speed leg
with his grey stallion Parco.
German riders filled five of the top 10 placings with Marcus Ehning and Gitania in second ahead of Markus Beerbaum and Constantin who set a cracking pace when first into the ring, and Kimberley Frey kept the USA in the frame when fourth with Marlou.
The small arena at the Thomas & Mack centre presents its own unique set of problems but course-designer, Brazil's Guilherme Jorge, was
satisfied that he achieved the correct result. "It was a big challenge to build a course for these top riders - I was under a lot of
pressure but the footing is good. I didn't expect so many clear rounds but I was happy with the course because the best ones finished on top and the others could handle it too" he said.
His 12-fence track began over an inviting triple bar but there was no let-up for the riders with fences coming up in very quick succession
leaving little time for hesitation and no forgiveness for error.
"The most problems were from fences 3, 4 and 5" said Marcus Ehning, "basically if you had a good start then the rest of the course went ok
but you had to get it right from the very beginning". Markus Beerbaum agreed - "the key jump on the track was number three" he said.
This was on oxer ridden off a sharp right-hand turn right in front of the pocket entrance and it was here that hopes faded for America's
Lauren Hough when, meeting it wrong, Clasiko ground to a halt before continuing on and then stopping again at the first element of the
double at fence 6.
Pathfinder Markus Beerbaum had made it look deceptively easy, producing a superbly tight turn to the vertical at fence eight which brought him home clear in 62.70 seconds. He only learned he had qualified for the event two weeks ago due to other riders falling out. "I was jumping on the US circult a lot over the winter and I only found out I could come to Las Vegas two days after I got home from Tampa, Florida. Maybe it was not so bad because I got some practice indoors before travelling back here" he said.
His wife, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, is one of the fancied contenders for this weekend's title however and Markus said he never expected to finish ahead of her today. "I was definitely surprised" he explained, "but I liked going early in the competition and I rode as fast as I
could and it worked out. I was very excited when I went through the timer at the finish, I knew it was a good performance for myself and my horse but I realised it was even better than I had thought when I saw the problems for the other riders - then I knew I might finish in the
top five".
A prominent finishing position in this first leg is vitally important and Marcus Ehning's time of 62.62 with the big grey Gitania pushed
Markus Beerbaum out of pole position but Ehning's advantage was short-lived when Ludo Philippaerts followed him into the ring and was
quicker still.
The partnership between the Belgian rider and Parco, a son of another beloved ride of Ludo's, Darco, is one cemented over time and this horse and rider who know each other so very well were in perfect harmony tonight.
Cruising from the start Ludo steered a tight line the whole way round the track and almost paid the price for his brave turn to the final
triple combination when the top pole on the vertical first element rolled but stayed in position as he broke the beam in 61.57 seconds.
"I turned really short to the last and I was lucky there but my horse jumped really great" he pointed out.
He has suffered a series of misfortunes in recent years with success slipping from his grasp in the final stages of the some of the bigger
championship events but there was something convincing about his result tonight and Ludo insisted that he will not be fazed by the pressure on this occasion. "I want to stay in front, my horse is fit and happy" he said, "but many horses here are in good form and it is a very open
competition".
That is certainly how it looks and with Marco Kutscher, who breezed around with Cash to slot into fifth, lying just ahead of Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly in sixth and then triple World Cup champion Rodrigo Pessoa in seventh spot with Baloubet there is no room
for complacency.
Meredith was last into the ring and Shutterfly was sharp but obedient, as always jumping with great extravagance and staying focused despite a dare-devil turn to the triple combination.
Rodrigo showed just how threatening he could be when keeping in touch with the leaders despite the addition of four extra seconds in this
Table C competition when Baloubet, brilliant and bursting with enthusiasm, was a little too strong on his approach to the treble.
Hitting the front element however he still recorded a time of 63.99 when the seconds were added and the stallion looked to be in his
element under the bright Las Vegas lights and can be expected to improve position when the fences get bigger in tomorrow's second leg.
Laura Kraut was another victim of fence three, falling when Anthem refused here, and joined fellow-American Lauren Hough and Saudi
Arabia's Abdullah Al Sharbatly on the list of eliminations but Kimberley Frey is determined to keep the US to the fore when the action
resumes on Friday night.
"I have not been jumping my horse outdoors. I went to Tampa and jumped in a covered ring there and then competed at Charlotte in North
Carolina where the ring is even smaller than it is here so we didn't feel awkward in the arena tonight" she explained. "Sometimes we
Americans are not so used to indoor jumping because we compete outside a lot but I've prepared for this" she pointed out and that preparation is now paying dividends.
"This is my first World Cup final but I believe 100% in my horse and I'm not that surprised that I finished so well today and I'm looking
forward to tomorrow" she said confidently.
Ludo Philippaerts was looking quietly confident too however and if he can hold his nerve then the pressure is on everyone else.
Onsdag
Meredith Perfectly poised as draw is made for Las Vegas
Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum got the best of the draw for the opening competition at the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas, USA but her husband Markus found himself at the other end of the spectrum and will be first into the ring on Thursday evening.
Runner-up at the 2004 final in Milan and winner of the Top-Ten final in Geneva last December, Meredith was already a strong favorite even before being drawn last of the 41 starters in Thursday evening's speed event.
However in the city where gambling is the name of the game few are dismissing the chances of some other front-runners including three-time World Cup title-holder Rodrigo Pessoa from Brazil, drawn 19th with the on-form Baloubet du Rouet, and Britain's Nick Skelton whose results with John and Lisa Hales' Arko have been so very impressive over the
past 12 months.
The arena at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas will be packed to capacity for the four-day fixture. The decision to run both the dressage and jumping World Cup finals at the same venue concurrently has clearly paid off with more than 100,000 tickets already sold and the crowds poured in today (Wednesday) to watch the warm-up sessions
ahead of tomorrow's more serious action.
The line-up is heavily weighted with top riders from the Western European League including reigning champion Bruno Broucqsault from France who pulled off a real surprise in Italy last April but the Arabian, Canadian, Japanese, Pacific and Central European leagues are also represented while the home side fields a total of 11 horses and riders and cannot be discounted.
America's record at World Cup Jumping finals remains unchallenged to date, with a total of seven victories since the series was initiated by Max Amman in 1978.
It is remarkable to note that all three lady riders who claimed the title carried the stars and stripes on their saddle cloths - Melanie Smith in 1982, Leslie Burr Lenehan in 1986 and Katharine Burdsall in 1987. There has been an 18-year gap since Katharine's success with the gloriously handsome and aptly named The Natural but the USA has now
produced another generation of female show jumping stars and with riders like Kimberley Frey, Laura Kraut and Lauren Hough flying the flag the 2005 final could see American girl-power flexing its muscles once again.
However the big money is on Meredith - American-born but riding for Germany and right at the top of her game.
Thursday's test is about speed, accuracy and registering a good place on the leaderboard - if you get left behind at this stage it is extremely difficult to claw your way back - Friday's jump-off competition asks for bigger jumping and Sunday's third and final leg - the Grand Prix - will decide the new champion.
In the glittering entertainment capital of the world the stage is set for a thrilling finale to the 2004/2005 FEI World Cup Jumping series.
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson avstår start i Las Vegas
Svenske toppryttaren Rolf-Göran Bengtsson avstår start i hoppningens Världscupfinal i Las Vegas, USA.
Tilltänkte hästen Mac Kinley drabbades av hovböld för några veckor sedan och fick avstå tävlande bland annat i Göteborg. De internationella hopptävlingarna i Düsseldorf helgen som gick var Mac Kinleys återkomst på hoppbanorna efter skadan, och även om Mac Kinley hoppade bra i Tyskland bedömer Rolf-Göran Bengtsson att han inte kommer att vara i toppform till finalen.
- Det är tråkigt, men det är ingen idé att komma halft förberedd till världens absolut största inomhustävling. Då är det bättre att ändra planerna och starta utomhussäsongen lite tidigare i stället, säger Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.
Det stora målet för året blir nu EM i hoppning i San Patrignano, Italien, i juli.
Tidsprogram Världscupfinalen i hoppning (lokal tid)
Torsdag 21 april
19:00 Världscupfinal omgång I - 1,50-tidshoppning (Table C)
Fredag 22 april
19:00 Världscupfinal omgång II - 1,55-1,60-hoppning, grundomgång med omhoppning
Lördag 23 april
13:00 Las vegas Grand Prix 1,50-1,60-hoppning
Söndag 24 april
12:00 Världscupfinal omgång III - 1,50-1,60-hoppning, två omgångar. Om två ryttare är likaplacerade efter båda omgångarna avgörs världscupfinalen med omhoppning.
Så här går finalen till
I finalen börjar samtliga ryttare om från noll. Finalen rids över tre dagar. Torsdag, fredag och avslutas på söndagen.
Finalomgång 1 - 1,50 hoppning där felen räknas om till tid.
Finalomgång 2 - 1,55- 1,60 hoppning
Grundomgång utan tid och därefter omhoppning på tid för de felfria ryttarna. Ryttare med fyra fel är lika placerade.
Efter finalomgångarna på torsdagen och fredagen räknas placeringarna i båda klasserna om till Världscuppoäng där segraren får högst poäng och de övriga som fullföljt får poäng i en fallande skala. Efter finalomgång två räknas poängen om till fel efter en speciell skala och den med högst poäng får noll fel och de övriga i en stigande skala. Ledaren startar alltså finalomgång 3 på noll fel.
Finalomgång 3 - 1,50-1,60 hoppning
Två hoppningar utan tid. Andra omgången över förkortad och ändrad bana. Endast felen räknas och läggs till de fel ryttaren har med sig från omgång 1 och 2.
2/3 av det totala antalet startande får starta i 3:e omgångens första hoppning och 50% av totala antalet startade får starta i andra omgången i 3:e finalomgången.
Totalsegrare i världscupfinalen blir den ryttare som har lägst antal fel efter samtliga tre finalomgångar.
Omhoppning om segern sker om två ryttare har lika antal fel efter samtliga tre finalomgångar, på en bana över 6 hinder.
Världscupfinalen i hoppning 2005
Startfält per den 7 april 2005
Belgien
Eric Flameng, Belgien, Roxanne
Ludo Philippaerts, Belgien, Kira 111, Parco, Chatman
Brasilien
Rodrigo Pessoa, Brasilien, Harry Potter, Baloubet du Rouet, Carlot 3,
Danmark
Tina Lund, Danmark, Andante
Estland
Gunnar Klettenberg, Estland,.Novesta, Picasso, Palladium
Frankrike
Philippe Leoni, Frankrike, Cyrenaika Frh
Bruno Broucqsault, Frankrike, Hooligan de Rosyl
Hubert Bourdy, Frankrike, Eve des Etisses
Holland
Gerco Schroder, Holland, Eurocommerce Monaco (enligt uppgift struken)
Eric Van Der Vleuten, Holland, Audi?s Jikke
Irland
Jessica Kurten, Irland, Quibell, Castle Forbes Libertina,
Japan
Akihiro Okabe, Japan, Lordlester 62, Rocco
Jordanien
Ibrahim Bisharat, Jordanien, Qwinto
Kanada
Eric Lamaze, Kanada, Tempete V/h Lindehof, Lorrain Z
Jill Henselwood, Kanada, Special Ed
Nya Zeeland
John Cottle, Nya Zeeland, Telegraph
Polen
Grzegorz Kubiak, Polen, Fair Play, Orkisz, Carlon, Ritus, Diane des Fantenis
Saudarabien
Abdullah al Sharbatlli, Saudarabien, Gerry Copperfield, Ivoor
Schweiz
Steve Guerdat, Schweiz, Orchidee B, Campus 8, Pialotta
Storbritannien
Nick Skelton, Storbritannien, Arko III
Michael Whitaker, Storbritannien, Portofino 63, Handel II
Richard Davenport, Storbritannien, Laguina
Tjeckien
Ales Opatmy, Tjeckien, Grand, Crazy Love, Famous
Tyskland
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Tyskland, Shutterfly, Check Mate
Lars Nieberg, Tyskland, Lucie 55, Lorena
Marco Kutscher, Tyskland, Swanky, Conterno-Grande, Montender 2, Controe, Cash 63
Alois Pollmann-Schweckhorst, Tyskland, Candy 195, Cristallo, Diamonds Daylight
Marcus Ehning, Tyskland, Anka 191, For Pleasure, Gitania 8, Sandro Boy
Ludger Beerbaum, Tyskland, Gold Fever 3, Couleur Rubin
Marcus Beerbaum, Tyskland, Le Mans 8,
USA
Nicole Simpson ,USA, El Campeon?s So Long
Joie Gatlin, USA, Suncal?s King
Richard Spooner, USA, Hilton Flight, Robinson, Millenium
Gabriella Salick, USA, Standstone Laurin, Sandstone Cellina
McLain Ward, USA, Sapphire, Quickstar II Z, Goldika 559
Laura Kraut, USA, Allegiance, Miss Independent, Anthem
Kimberley Frey, USA, Couletto K James, Marlou
Anne Kursinski, USA, Lorenzo, Roxana 112, Eros
Schuyler Riley, USA, Ilian, Opus Sept
Lauren Hough, USA, Casadora, Clasiko
Georgina Bloomberg, USA, Nadia, Riviera
Candice King, USA, Coco Cabana, Verelst Camillo V, Glenn CH