FROM an Irish perspective, all eyes are on Bertram Allen and Molly Malone V as he bids to become the first Irish winner of the Longines FEI World Cup final. Or the only Irish-bred horse in the show jumping final – Flexible – who has bounced back to his brilliant best.

For the dressage world, however, the one story that has dominated Las Vegas is the arrival in town of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. Nor can you miss the pair with billboards at the McCarran International Airport – literally across the road from the Thomas & Mack Center host venue – and around the “entertainment capital of the world”.

Entertainment, precision, adulation and another giant score is what the pair produced in the opening grand prix on Thursday. Dujardin found however that she had the opposite problem to Bertram Allen, who had a headstrong Molly Malone V to contend with before their phenomenal win. In comparison, his considerable American fanbase saw a slightly lacklustre Valegro and Dujardin warm up in Wednesday’s schooling session.

“Yesterday I was worried, he was quite flat and not himself,” revealed Charlotte at Thursday’s post-victory press conference. He’d had a 24-hour journey, jetlag has hit him as well as the temperature change, and it’s all stuff he’s got to acclimatise to and myself as well. But I got on him today and he felt ready to go. “I think he just knew what he had to do and he never lets me down,” she said in praise of the 13-year-old who scored 85.414% in the opening salvo of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup dressage final.

There was an audible murmur from the spectators during the pair’s second piaffe, when the Negro gelding temporarily lost his rhythm but otherwise the reigning World Cup, Olympic and world championship gold medal pair did not disappoint their legion of fans.

Placing second was Edward Gal, the Dutch rider who also gained an American fanbase with his 2010 world championship gold medal partner Totilas. This time he has teamed up with Glock’s Undercover N.O.P and the 14-year-old gelding proved Valegro’s greatest rival with a score of 79.057.

“I didn’t know what to expect after not riding him for three days while he went through quarantine,” Gal said candidly. “Yesterday he was tense and the tension was up and down through the test, but if he was like this a year ago I wouldn’t have been able to ride him at all, so I was pleased”.

The home crowd favourite Steffen Peters, on the receiving end of rapturous applause for his test with Legolas (76.843), revealed how he had trained the 14-year-old Westphalian to cope with the occasion. Their preparation included travelling to local shows and recording the applause at one venue which he converted into a continuous sound loop played to horse to acclimatise him for Las Vegas.

“I’m so happy those long hours of relaxation and mentally preparing have paid off,” he said.

Rising dressage stars filled the next three places with Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl taking fourth place with the eyecatching Gribaldi stallion Unee BB (74.843).

Painted Black, another of Gribaldi’s offspring, had placed third on his previous World Cup appearance with Isabel Werth. This time he filled sixth place with his young Spanish rider Morgan Barbancon Mestre who is coached by her trainer via webcam.

Slotting in between this pair was another young talent and home crowd favourite in Laura Graves who scored 74.314 with Verdades. As we went to press on Friday night, another capacity crowd was gathering to watch the freestyle competition and see if Valegro and Dujardin would continue to sweep all before them.