Wellington, FL (March 9, 2010) – Olympic dressage rider Bent Jensen knows how to entertain a crowd, and he did just that with a Las Vegas-style performance that landed him in the winner’s circle at the Players Club & Restaurant’s most recent Top Shelf Dressage Under the Stars competition. Jensen, wearing glasses and a wizard’s hat, turned in an outstanding passage tour set to electrifying music to win the evening’s competition on his 13-year-old Dutch gelding Liberty Light.

“Bent gave us a performance to remember,” said Paul Griffo, Manager of the Players Club. “Bent was the overall winner of Dressage Under the Stars two years ago on the same horse, and you could tell by his performance this time around that he’s in it to win. In addition to being a talented and accomplished dressage rider, Bent is also a showman and he certainly gave the audience a great show.”

Griffo said the competition is heating up as Dressage Under the Stars moves toward its finale on Wednesday, March 17th. “The winner of the finale will need help carrying home all of their prizes,” Griffo said. “Not only will they get a check for $2,500 from the Players Club, but they will also win a dressage saddle from Custom Saddlery. More than $10,000 in prizes will be given out the night of the finale. It is going to be an amazing evening and a great wrap-up to our weekly Wednesday night competition.”

The recent Dressage Under the Stars proved to be the most exciting competition yet, complete with a variety of prizes awarded to the competitors and judges. Jensen and fellow competitors, Cheryl Meisner, Michael Kohl, and Dana Fiore, were awarded saddle pads from Cavalor, who helped sponsor the event. Jensen also rode away with a dress sheet from Cavalor, a $500 check from the Players Club, a $100 gift certificate from SmarkPak and a two-month supply of SUCCEED®. The Wellington Institute, a wellness center dedicated to medical and dental aesthetics and anti-aging medicine, donated gift certificates to the institute to each rider and judge, and additional sponsors for the evening included Equilite, Draper Equine Therapy, Sho Clothes, Choice of Champions and Premiere Equestrian.

“Once again it was a star-studded night, complete with celebrity judges. Dining under the stars while watching world-class horses and riders dance in the ring is certainly a winning combination. Many of our spectators have discovered they don’t want to miss a single evening, and they are certainly looking forward to the grand finale,” Griffo said.

Celebrity judges for the evening included Barbara Marks, a licensed judge from the UK, and author and clinician Mary Wanless. The “Voice of Dressage,” announcer Nicho Meredith, acted as the style judge while Dressage Daily’s Mary Phelps took on the role of media judge.

Dressage Under The Stars runs every Wednesday night, concluding with a grand finale on March 17th that will boast over $10,000 in prizes. Prizes during the finale will include a check for $2,500 cash from the Player’s Club Restaurant, a gorgeous saddle donated by Custom Saddlery, a beautiful dressage bridle from SmartPak Equine, Der-Dau custom paddock boots, Draper Equine Therapy Deluxe Dressage Package and great products from Equilite Sore No More®, Sho Clothes, Dressage Training Online, The Tackeria, Choice of Champions and a gift certificate from The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center.

For more information about the Players Club, visit their website at www.playersclubrestaurant.com.