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Aachen, June 10th, 2008

CHIO Aachen: Rematch of the World Championships Final with the best riders in the world
Prize of the Dubai Equestrian Club with the Olympic gold medallist and the 2006 World Championships top three

It is a head-down between the current title holders and almost a rematch of the Final of the 2006 World Championships: Olympic gold medallist Rodrigo Pessoa (Brazil), World Champion Jos Lansink (Belgium), European Champion Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Thedinghausen) and Beezie Madden (USA) - winner of the ROLEX Grand Prix 2007 - will be saddling their horses for the Prize of the Dubai Equestrian Club, Best of Champions. At the CHIO Aachen, on Saturday, July 5th, starting at 4.30 p.m. in the main stadium. In 2006 Lansink also competed against Michaels-Beerbaum and Madden over the World Championship course in Aachen in the competition with horse rotation. Four faults at the last fence for the American rider meant that Lansink was able to claim a tight victory.

A top-class field, which is leading to "the tickets gradually running short," commented Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachener Reitturnier GmbH (ART). However, there are still a few tickets left, which can be ordered from the hotline +49-(0)241-917-1111 or under www.chioaachen.de, where tickets are also available for the spectacular jumping competitions on Saturday evening. The special thrill for the spectators in the Best of Champions competitions: The riders don't just have to complete the course on their own horse, they then have to master the round with the horses of their fellow competitors. And each of the equestrian athletes has only two minutes to get used to the respective equine before commencing their round. "This is always a big challenge and for both the riders and the audience a really exciting affair," said Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

Exactly how high ranking this encounter is going to be is underlined by the list of former victories of the participating champions: Pessoa was World Champion in 1998, as well as winning the World Cup Final three times. Lansink, the World Champion of Aachen in 2006, also won team gold at the beginning of the 90s at the Olympic Games and at European Championships, Michaels-Beerbaum is currently number one in the world rankings, has won the World Cup Final twice, was team European Champion twice and claimed the bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships in Aachen. Beezie Madden is the reigning Vice-World Champion and team Olympic gold medallist. Each of the riders has already succeeded in winning the Grand Prix of Aachen: Pessoa in 1994, Lansink in 1992, Michaels-Beerbaum in 2005 and Madden last year.
The World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen 2008, begins on June 27th and runs until July 6th. There are still tickets for almost all categories.

Opening Hours ALRV previous to the CHIO 2008:
Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. -6 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Ticket-Hotline: +49-241-917-1111