Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 17--Steffen Peters on Ravel, Isabell Werth on Satchmo and Anky van Grunsven on Salinero will head up an all-star cast at the Exquis World Dressage Masters in Palm Beach next month that kicks off a second year of the globe's richest lineup of dressage events.

The CDI5* event on Feb. 4-6 will be the first meeting of the three top combinations since the German and Dutch women--now both mothers--were runnersup to Steffen and Ravel at the World Cup in Las Vegas last April.

Other top combinations are:

* Canada -- Ashley Holzer, three-time Olympian, and Pop Art, and Cheryl Meisner and Paganini;

* Germany -- Ulla Salzgeber, Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion, and Wakana, and Anja Plöntzke and Le Mont d'Or, winners of the Cannes WDM Grand Prix Special;

* The Netherlands -- Stephanie Peters and Christa Laarakkers and Ovation;

* Denmark -- Mikala Munter Gundersen and Leonberg and Lars Petersen, Olympian and World Cup competitor, and Success, and

* USA -- Leslie Morse, WDM Hickstead Grand Prix Special winner, World Equestrian Games and World Cup competitor, and Tip Top, Lauren Sammis and Sagacious HF, 2007 Pan American Games team gold and individual silver medal winners, Tina Konyot and Calecto V, Reese Koffler Stanfield and Goughberg's Kaspar and Michael Barisone and Neruda, winner of the Palm Beach WDM Grand Prix Special and reserve for the 2008 Olympic team.

Other riders may qualify through a CDI3* a week before the event, or receive an invitation.

Tickets will go on sale at noon Monday, at www.equestriansport.com.

For VIP box seats and Tiki tables contact Annette Goyette at 561-779-1660.

For VIP tables, contact Kiki Umla at 904-607-5541.

General Admission $20 per day for Friday and Saturday nights

VIP box seats $50 per day for Friday and Saturday nights

Tiki tables $600 per table of 8

International Club tables $750 per table of 6 or $125 per person per night and includes gourmet buffet and open bar.

The WDM at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center is the first of at least three of the globe's richest dressage events held in the U.S. and Europe in 2010. A fourth venue likely will be added.

Total prize money at PBIEC is €100,000 (US$144,000), €10,000 (US$14,400) for the Grand Prix that is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 4, €30,000 (US$43,200) for the Special on Saturday, Feb. 6 and €60,000 (US$86,400) for the Kür on Saturday night. Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe also offers a WDM Rider Ranking series bonus of €25,000 (US$36,000).

A special gala night of equestrian entertainment is scheduled for Friday night, Feb. 5, headlined by a "ride off" between Steffen Peters and a top European rider.

Anky and Isabell have won a combined total of 11 World Cup titles and eight Olympic gold medals in the 15 years they have dominated global dressage. Anky won the inaugural Palm Beach Masters in 2009 and at Cannes on the French Riviera in June, while Isabell captured the World Dressage Masters in Munich in May.

Steffen Peters beat both riders in the 2009 World Cup Final at Las Vegas then went on to make an historic sweep of all three team championship competitions--the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Kür--at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany. Those successes led to Steffen being named U.S. Equestrian of the Year for the second straight year and for Ravel being named Horse of the Year.

Anky lives in Erp, The Netherlands, and is married to the Dutch national coach, Sjef Janssen. They have two children.

She has won nine World Cups, five on Bonfire and four on Salinero, three Olympic individual gold medals and two individual World Championship gold medals.

Isabell Werth has won four Olympic team and one individual gold medals, three World Championship team and one individual gold medals and two World Cup titles.

She returned to competition the week after Christmas after a six-month break during which she gave birth to a baby boy, Frederik.

Despite the long break, she had accumulated so many points in six months of competition that she entered 2010 with both Satchmo and her other top horse, Warum Nicht FRH, in the top 10 in the FEI World Rankings that spans a year of shows.

NÜRNBERGER VersicherungsgruppeWDM Rider Rankings
(Through WDM, Hickstead 2009--second of four competition)

Rank Rider Nation # Events Points
1. Edward Gal NED 1 1020
2. Marc Boblet FRA 2 945
3. Adelinde Cornelissen NED 1 870
4. Laura Bechtolsheimer GBR 1 855
5. Catherine Haddad USA 2 855
6. Daniel Pinto POR 2 855
7. Imke Schellekens-Bartels NED 1 780
8. Anky van Grunsven NED 1 750
9. Ashley Holzer CAN 1 750
10. Hans Peter Minderhoud NED 1 615
11. Kyra Kyrklund FIN 1 615
12. Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein DEN 1 585
13. Leslie Morse USA 1 585
14. Fiona Bigwood GBR 1 570
15. Jordi Domingo ESP 1 558
16. Jeroen Devroe BEL 1 540
17. Anders Dahl DEN 1 510
18. Maria Eilberg GBR 1 495
19. Anja Plönzke GER 1 495
20. Michal Rapcewicz POL 1 470
21. Stefan van Ingelgem BEL 1 450
22. Judy Harvey GBR 1 435
23. Anne van Uytert NED 1 420
24. Evi Strasser CAN 1 405
25. Sarah Jane Elmslie GBR 1 405
26. Jane Gregory GBR 1 390
27. Constance Menard ISR 1 375
28. Dane Rawlins GBR 1 375
29. Marc Peter Spahn BEL 1 360
30. Remy Issartel FRA 1 360

Note: In the case of tied points, the best individual result in Grand Prix will be decisive

About WDM
The World Dressage Masters is a sports and marketing initiative of equestrian innovator Exquis, international sports marketing agency, SportBizz, and Equestrian Sport Productions of the USA.
WDM utilizes marketing strategies and innovation to enhance the sport of dressage worldwide.

WDM is sponsored by Exquis, Moorland Stables and Moorland Investments, Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe and Jerich International.
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Photo: Anky van Grunsven, Steffen Peters and Isabell Werth at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas. © 2009 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

http://www.worlddressagemasters.com

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