Welcome to the 2008 PhelpsSports.com
Palm Beach Dressage Derby

February 29 - March 2, 2008
The Horse Park at Equestrian Estates Loxahatchee, Florida

By Mary Hilton -- July 19, 2007

PhelpsSports.com is delighted to welcome competitors and spectators to the 2008 PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI-W/CDIY. For the second consecutive year, PhelpsSports.com is honored to be the first title sponsor in the 25-year history of this illustrious show. We look forward once again to working with Mary Anne and Walter McPhail and ‘The Derby’ staff and crew that do such a superb job of presenting one of the best dressage shows in the world.

The PhelpsSports staff congratulates ‘The Derby’ for bringing 25 years of topnotch competitions to the dressage community and we look forward to participating in the festivities for the show’s 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2008.

In addition to providing financial support for this beautiful dressage show, as title sponsor PhelpsSports.com will also present a host of new hospitality amenities and prizes for exhibitors in 2008, including Five-Day PhelpsSports.com Access Passes for all exhibitors, One-Year PhelpsSports.com Subscriptions for winners of every class, and Lifetime PhelpsSports.com Subscriptions for winners of the CDI Musical Freestyles!

Competition at the 2008 PhelpsSports.com Derby promises to be especially memorable, with world-class riders from the U.S. and other countries expected to compete. As always, one of the highlights of the CDI is the Grand Prix, and this year will be especially exciting as the PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby is a qualifying competition for the Selection Trials that will determine the U.S. dressage team that will compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The 2008 PhelpsSports Derby is also a qualifying competition for the inaugural FEI World Cup League for North America, which includes the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and will determine the two riders who will represent the League at the 2008 World Cup Dressage Final. PhelpsSports.com wishes all the best to these talented horses and riders in their quest to represent the United States!

The 2008 PhelpsSports Derby also features qualifiers for the USEF national championships, USDF regional championships, and BLM championships, providing exhilarating competition at every level. Good luck to all competitors!

The PhelpsSports team of writers, photographers, and videographers will be on site to capture the news and highlight the winners every day of the show. Last year, daily coverage included 16 text reports plus Day Sheets and Results Sheets for both the National and CDI segments; nine video and audio interviews; and more than 100 photos! You can view that coverage at http://www.phelpssports.com/events.php?id=124 – just click on this link, log in to PhelpsSports.com, and you’ll be taken directly to the coverage. In 2008, PhelpsSports.com will again provide quality in-depth coverage every day of the show.

The 2007 PhelpsSports.com Derby was a resounding success, and we’ve canvassed some of the high caliber participants for their thoughts on this outstanding event. Here’s what top riders, coaches, and trainers have to say about the incomparable ‘Derby’:

Klaus Balkenhol, U.S. Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe
“The PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Derby was held on the grounds belonging to Walter and Mary Anne McPhail and was a total success. The organization was exceptional and the weather helped as well. The rides were of high quality and the arenas were in good condition and well cared for. The judging was at a very high level because the selection of judging panels is something Mary Anne does very well. Because the grounds are quite expansive, the horses could be individually trained and presented. Both the national and international horses were able to train in quiet surroundings. The riders, trainers and horses were all well accommodated. One hopes that the PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Derby will remain at this wonderful facility and with the current management. A large compliment and thank you go to Mary Anne, Walter and all of the staff and volunteers who make it possible to have this kind of competition at their facility.”

George Williams
“The PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby is one of my favorite shows. It's classy, festive and it has a long history of putting the competitors first! The organizers go out of their way to make sure the competitors’ needs are met. When you mix classy sponsors with classy organizers you end up with the PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Derby.”

Shannon Dueck
“I have loved competing at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby every year since I first came to Florida, in 2003. Each year every aspect of the show improves: the quality and number of competitors increases, the venue is upgraded all the time, and the level of sponsorship gets higher. In 2007 the footing was the best ever – I loved how my horses felt in the new arenas.  We are lucky to be able to compete here. The management does a great job helping out both competitors and sponsors. I am really looking forward to showing at the 25th Anniversary in 2008. It will be a spectacular show with lots of top competition, as it is leading up to the Olympic Games, and we will all have Olympic Fever!”

Suzanne Dansby-Phelps
“The PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby, I think most CDI competitors would agree, is the highlight show of their season in Florida. The McPhails have so consistently and generously provided a wonderful venue all of these years, and they, along with the other show management, are most professional and always do an excellent job. They have some of the best judges, both the warm-up and show arenas have good footing and are adjacent to each other, and every year a charity luncheon takes place under the tent at the CDI arena during the freestyle rides. This luncheon draws in spectators that might not have previously attended a dressage show.”

Shawna Harding
“Everyone loves the PhelpsSports.com Derby. It is always a well-attended and well-run competition. The footing was good last year and has adequate warm-up areas. The atmosphere is horse and rider friendly. It was great having such generous sponsors. It gives meaning and recognition to our sport and an extra bonus to win things that are useful to our riding.”

About PhelpsSports.com  
PhelpsSports.com, the equestrian website launched by Mason Phelps, Jr. in August 2006, features more than 70 correspondents reporting from around the globe to bring subscribers the latest breaking news coverage of major equestrian competitions worldwide, including up-to-the-minute audio reports, video interviews, winning rounds, photography, plus feature stories and informative columns. Check out all of the action from the 2008 PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby on line every day at www.PhelpsSports.com