Olympic Rematch Set for 2009 Rolex FEI World CupTM Finals in Las Vegas

The Dressage World Cup Final at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas are set to witness a Olympic showdown with Anky Van Grunsven of The Netherlands and Isabell Werth of Germany heading the list of 15 riders from eight countries set to compete.Van Grunsven, the reigning Olympic, World, and World Cup Champion, is one of the most decorated riders in dressage history. She has won the World Cup Final a record nine times, including last year, and also the individual Gold Medal at the last three Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008). She is also the reigning World Champion, having won that title at the last World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany in 2006.Joining Van Grunsven in Las Vegas is her longtime rival, Isabell Werth of Germany. Werth has won the World Cup Final on two occasions—1992 and 2007 in Las Vegas when van Grunsven was home in Holland after having just given birth.The two rivals have traded places on the podium for years. Each has won six Olympic medals. When Werth won Gold in 1996, van Grunsven took Silver. In 2000, the results were reversed, with van Grunsven winning Gold. At the 2006 World Equestrian Games, Van Grunsven won Gold in the Grand Prix Freestyle, where Werth won Bronze, and Werth won Gold in the Grand Prix Special, where van Grunsven won silver.Looking to crack the van Grunsven-Werth hold on the World Cup championship will be 16 other riders including three Americans, led by Steffen Peters. who finished fourth in last year’s Olympic Games in Hong Kong. He is joined by Jan Ebeling and Leslie Morse.The events takes place from April 15-19.