Las Vegas – The first day of active competition of the 2007 Rolex FEI Dressage World Cup kicked off on Thursday with the Grand Prix, giving a sense of just how these top international riders stand up against each other. And American Steffen Peters is very near the top, finishing second just behind German rider Isabell Werth.

The opening day competition was narrowed to 16 after Andreas Helgstrand had to withdraw Blue Hors Matine from competition citing a minor injury incurred during shipping. But despite the loss of this pair, the opening competition was everything one expects from Las Vegas. Former Texas resident, and now Californian, Sabine Schut-Kery had the honor of riding in with the American flag and she was soon followed by the opening act of three Lusitanos and riders in classical costume from Oliveira Dressage. They were accompanied in music by the talent of tenor singer Jesús León. João Oliveira himself was unable to ride as he’s recovering from cancer surgery.

The performance was a hit with the crowd. Clearly, it’s not a Vegas World Cup without musical entertainment and laser shows and Thursday’s opening dressage competition featured both. As announcer Brian O’Connor put it, “We’ve waited two years for this competition to come back to Vegas. Are you ready?” he asked the crowd. “No one does it better than the people here in Las Vegas.”