19-year-old Bertram Allen found himself toasting the other riders with bottled water when the top prizewinners received a glass of champagne at the post-final press conference. He also made press office team Pat and Cheryl Bagnall’s day when he told them his first lesson was at Carrigbeg Stables in Bagenalstown, where Pat’s family are from.
THE star of the press conferences was undoubtedly Edward Gal who missed his vocation as a stand-up comedian. When asked about his ‘senior’ status amongst the freestyle prizewinners, he immediately quipped that he was only the oldest present in the absence of Isabell Werth! Diana Ross was the Las Vegas act he most wanted to see, while Steffen Peters opted for the Britney Spears show “if my wife allows me!”
PETERS’ music choice for Saturday’s Freestyle backfired when the crowd erupted with applause and laughter at the new lyrics to “Ice Ice Baby” which had “Hi, I’m Legolas!” added to the intro. The gelding balked and in urging him forward, Peters believed he accidentally marked the horse’s side which caused the American pair’s elimination.
A WELCOME addition was the inclusion of each horse’s breeder by Nico Meredith, one of the dressage commentary team, during his comprehensive introduction.
CHARLOTTE Dujardin must have felt like a film star as she was greeted upon her arrival by giant billboards which featured her and Valegro, together with last year’s show jumping champion Daniel Deusser and Cornet D’Amour. She was also whisked away after Saturday’s press conference for a photoshoot beside the iconic “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” road sign but the icing on the cake had to be New York fashion designer and sponsor Reem Acra’s offer to make the newly-engaged dressage star’s wedding dress. No doubt Valegro will appear at the nuptials as the best four-legged man.
VALEGRO’s o-owner Carl Hester saw more of the North American continent than he planned to when Tuesday night’s sandstorm caused his British Airways flight to be diverted from McCarran Airport to Toronto instead. The next stop for Hester and the other passengers was Los Angeles where they arrived at 2am and the resourceful trainer hired a car there to drive through the night to Las Vegas. Valegro will have a few weeks break before one outing at Hartpury before contesting the European championships this summer. After that journey, Carl probably feels like joining him in the field.
”GOOD thing I wasn’t first!” was second-placed Edward Gal’s quickfire response to Reem Acra’s offer to supply winner Charlotte Dujardin’s wedding dress.
FORMER Irish Horse World editor Grania Willis, now the FEI’s Director of Press Relations, was on hand to present Olympia Horse Show’s Jo Peck with the award for the best press office of the Western Europe league.
THE Irish Field found a new assistant during Saturday’s dressage freestyle when “Elvis” sat down in the press seating section. It turned out that Elvis impersonator Harry, who already features in a State Farm TV commercial, was there to film a promotional piece, but before Elvis left the building, he helped Susan Finnerty with the live twitter feed for @TheIrishFieldHW
THE next American city to host the World Cup final will be Omaha in 2017. Las Vegas has certainly set the entertainment bar higher than an Anthony D’Ambrosio track for the Nebraska city and all others.