Mandli has breakthrough

Four previous times, Switzerland's Beat Mandli was right there with a chance to win the FEI World Cup Finals.

And all four times, he fell just short, finishing second twice and third twice.

This time, however, was different. Mandli broke through for that first victory Sunday, taking the horse jumping championship with a perfect final ride aboard Ideo du Thot before 9,321 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Mandli also took home $82,781.

"I've never had this feeling before because I've never won a championship," Mandli said. "It's a great feeling. I think I haven't realized it yet."

He entered Sunday's first round in third place, and moved up to a tie for second going into the final ride.

Low score wins in this sport, and Mandli remained at five points after previous riders' scores climbed. He had only countryman Steve Guerdat, who had four points, in front of him.

A perfect ride by Guerdat, and the title was his. Instead, his horse, Tresor V, hit two rails to drop him into a tie for third with 12 points and give Mandli the victory.

"Actually, I was surprised how good (Tresor V) ran every day," Guerdat said. "This morning, he felt really good when I rode him, and the first round, he was really, really, good, probably the best round he's jumped all week.

"I expected him to be a little bit tired for the second round because that's a lot of jumping for him. He's not used to it. I felt the power was a little bit gone, and that's going to be a long run."

Maybe too long.

Even so, the Swiss riders showed their country might be ready to challenge Germany's stranglehold on the sport.

German riders had won the annual World Cup Finals four of the previous five years. The Germans also have dominated the Olympic Games, though their gold medal in 2004 at Athens was changed to a bronze after one of the horses was disqualified. The United States won the gold.

The Germans' presence was felt in Las Vegas as well, with six of the top eight finishers being from there, including runner-up Daniel Deusser, who had 11 points on Air Jordan Z. German Markus Beerbaum, on Leena, tied Guerdat for third.

Could the Swiss riders' success show that Germany's place atop the horse jumping world is in danger of being challenged?

"I think that maybe the Swiss are as good as any Germans, if not better," Guerdat said.

The remark elicited some laughter in the media room.

"It's true," Guerdat said. "Any championship, any nation's cup, any competition, we are trying hard. OK, they have more possibilities because they have more riders, but quality-wise, we are probably as good as any other country."

The top American finisher was McLain Ward, who rode Sapphire to a tie for eighth.

However, it was a difficult day for Ward, who is from Brewster, N.Y. He entered the day tied for fifth, but knocked down two rails in the first round and one more in the second to take himself out of the running for the title.

"What happened today? I rode badly," Ward said. "The horse jumped great the first two days. He certainly was a little dull today, a little bit quiet. I overrode her in the first round.

"I was a little shocked by the wall in the second round. Normally, she jumps that fence very well. I wasn't too concerned about it, but I think for that horse and myself, it was a very mediocre performance."