Jennifer Wood for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

 

Wellington, FL - February 13, 2010 - Pablo Barrios of Venezuela stepped into the winner's circle for the first time
in a
major FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) grand prix tonight
in the
$150,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, CSI 3*, presented by Spy
Coast
Farm. He led the victory gallop in front of 4,800 show jumping
fans
on G&C LaGran, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal. The
other
double clear round for second place went to Jeffrey Welles
(USA) on
Armani, owned by Abigail Wexner and Triton Ventures. Darragh
Kenny
(IRL) and Trade Winds Farm's Obelix continued their solid
World Cup
performances with third place.

 

The fifth week of the FTI WEF is sponsored by Spy Coast Farm and runs through Sunday, February 14. The 2010 FTI Winter
Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude
on
April 4, 2010, and they will be awarding almost $6 million in
prize
money through the circuit.

 

Richard Jeffery of England designed tonight's course, which started with a five-stride line at the
far
end of the ring.  There was also an open water option
available
for those riders working towards their Certificate of
Eligibility for
the World Equestrian Games. The final line caught many riders
as
well, with a wall in five strides to a liverpool one-stride,
then
another five strides to the final liverpool oxer.

 

"It was a very good course," Welles said. "The triple combination was early. It was scopey enough. There were some
tricky distances as the course went on, like to the skinny
gate." Kenny agreed, "I thought he did a super course. He
didn't want to go too hard with the Americans with their
trials coming
up. It was a little bit of a warm-up. To build a course with
45
really good horses and only have six clear, it wasn't really
extremely difficult; it was super course-building."

 

In a class of 44 entries, there were six clear rounds that went on to contest the jump-off. Both Ken Berkley (USA)
on
Carlos Boy and Addison Phillips (USA) with Teirra were clear
over the
jumps but had one time fault in the first round to finish in
seventh
and eighth places, respectively.

 

First to return in the jump-off was Hillary Dobbs on Quincy B. They set a quick pace in the beginning, but after a
rail at
the third jump on course, they slowed down to finish with four
faults
in 46.14 seconds for fifth place.

 

Following Dobbs was Shane Sweetnam (IRL) on Rolette, owned by this week's title sponsors, Spy Coast Farm LLC. They
had a
quick time of 41.75 seconds, but it came at the expense of a
rail at
the second jump. They finished in fourth place. Rodrigo Pessoa
(BRA)
and Let's Fly, owned by Double H Farm, had two rails in the
one
stride combination. They finished with eight faults in 42.78
seconds
for sixth place.

 

Welles and Armani competed next, planning on going to the lead with a clear
round. They produced just that, in a time of 45.54 seconds to
take
lead, but would eventually finish in second place.

Jeffrey Welles and Armani

 

Right after, Barrios and G&C LaGran went in knowing they had to go clear and just a touch faster to take the lead,
which
is exactly what they did. Barrios was able to push G&C
LaGran
through the course with a great turn back to the triple bar
jump, and
they stopped the timers in 41.75 seconds to take the lead.

 

"This was his first grand prix here for this season," Barrios said of LaGran. "He came fresh and felt really good in the warm-up. I really liked the course for him.
Everything ended up good, with a victory! There were not that
many
clears; I was right after Jeffrey. I watched his track and
know that
my horse is pretty fast. I tried to stay just a little faster
than
him and tried to be clear. When I looked to the board, I knew I
had
the time."

 

Kenny and Obelix started the jump-off with speed by doing one less stride down the opening line. They kept up the
quick
pace and were on track to take the lead, but they dropped a
rail at
the second to last vertical jump on course. They finished with
the
fastest time of the night in 39.78 seconds, but their four
faults
left them in third place.

 

For Welles and Armani, today was a good indicator of Armani's readiness for the USEF WEG Show Jumping Trials, which
run
from February 25 through March 5. That is Welles' main goal
for this
year, and he felt that Armani has returned to high-level
competition
in top form. Armani was injured at last year's WEF, but he
showed
lightly in the summer and won the New Albany Invitational,
where
Barrios finished second with LaGran.

 

"I was really thrilled with the way he jumped in the first round. It was a big class, but it was sort of a warm-up for
the trials," Welles said. "My expectations were not that
high, so I was really pleased. I figured in the jump-off that I
wouldn't go that fast and just cruise around. I wasn't going
to go
all out. The trials are really my goal, the championships for
this
year. He feels great and ready for the trials."

 

With two wins and two third places in World Cup qualifiers, Kenny and Obelix have secured their ticket to this year's
Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Geneva ,
Switzerland ,
in April. Tonight, Kenny said, "The horse felt really good. He
was fantastic. I tried to be as quick as I could, but it
didn't pay
off. That's the way it happens. I'm going to the World Cup
Finals. It
wasn't the plan at the beginning of the year, but he's been
great.
These guys are thinking of the WEG, but for me if I got to go
to the
WEG it would be brilliant, but it's not my main plan. I'm
younger and
less experienced. For this year for me, it's about gathering
experience."

 

Barrios also has his sights set on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
(WEG)
this year and is not planning on the World Cup Finals. He and
LaGran,
an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Lancer II xx Grannus, have
had
top grand prix finishes. He said of his horse, "He's very
adjustable.
I can change my mind in seconds, and he reacts very good."

Pablo Barrios and G&C LaGran

Of his first major WEF grand prix victory, he said, "The win feels very good. It's my first grand prix win in
Palm Beach in a Sunday or main
class. I've been second and third before, but it's my first
victory
here. I've been here eight years. It's not easy winning here!"

Sunday's schedule has been adjusted, with the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m
Classic going at 8 a.m. as the first class in the
International
Arena. The $25,000 G&C Young Riders Grand Prix will still
run at
1 p.m.

 

For full results and more information, please visit www.shownet.biz or www.equestriansport.com.

 

Final Results: $150,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, CSI 3

1. G&C LAGRAN: 1999
 Oldenburg gelding by Lancer II xx Grannus

PABLO BARRIOS (VEN), GUSTAVO AND
 CAROLINA MIRABAL: 0/0/41.75

2. ARMANI: 1995 KWPN gelding by Guidam xx G Ramiro Z

JEFFERY WELLES (
 USA ), ABIGAIL WEXNER & TRITON VENTURES: 0/0/45.54

3. OBELIX: 1996 KWPN gelding by LIBERO H xx Zeus

DARRAGH KENNY (IRL), TRADE WINDS FARM: 0/4/39.78

4. ROLETTE: 1998 Dutch Warmblood mare by Lester

SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL),
 SPY COAST FARM LLC: 0/4/41.75

5. QUINCY B: 1996 Holsteiner gelding by Quidam de Revel xx
 Lagos

HILLARY DOBBS (
 USA ), HILLARY DOBBS: 0/4/46.14

6. LET'S FLY: 1999 Hannoverian gelding by Lordanos xx Forrest

RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA), DOUBLE H FARM: 0/8/42.78

7. CARLOS BOY:1995 Holsteiner stallion by Campesino xx Ligrorett

KENNETH BERKLEY (
 USA ), KRISTA & ALEXA WEISMAN: 1/88.44                    

8. TEIRRA: 2000 KWPN mare by Tolano van't Riethof xx Aldatus

ADDISON PHILLIPS ( USA ),
 ADDISON PHILLIPS: 1/88.85                    

9. ASLAN: 2000 DWB gelding by Aston xx Blue Hors Agent

LJUBOV KOCHETOVA (RUS), LJUBOV KOCHETOVA: 4/79.65                    

10. PAVAROTTI: 1997 KWPN gelding by Lancelot xx Renville

TODD MINIKUS (
 USA ), TODD MINIKUS LTD: 4/80.36                    

11. SASSICAIA II: 1996 KWPN mare by Kojak xx Boreas

KATHERINE MONAHAN-PRUDENT (FRA), PLAIN BAY FARM: 4/80.73                    

12. QUICK STUDY: 1999 Selle Francais gelding by Quick Star xx What a Joy

LAUREN HOUGH (USA ), LAURA MATEO: 4/81.24          

 

The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January
13
through April 4. WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions,
LLC, and
Wellington Equestrian Partners and
held at the Palm Beach
International
Equestrian Center .
All 12 shows are "AA" rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more
than $5.5 million in prize money will be awarded.

 

 

Photo Credit: G&C LaGran and Pablo Barrios (VEN) won the $150,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, CSI 3* during week
five at
the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © 2010 Randi
Muster/Mustphoto, Inc., Official Sport Photographer of the
2010 FTI
Winter Equestrian Festival.