Harrisburg, PA – October 26, 2010 – G&C Farm had a very successful week at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, held on October 18-23, 2010, in Harrisburg, PA. Pablo Barrios guided G&C Quick Star 11 to victory in the $30,000 Pennsylvania Big Jump class, and placed in three other open jumper class at the competition. G&C Farm is based in Wellington, FL, and owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of Venezuela. Barrios, who competes for Venezuela, is also based in Wellington.
Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11, a 12-year-old KWPN mare by Quick Star x Grannus, took the top prize in the $30,000 Pennsylvania Big Jump class over a field of 28 starters. They were the fastest double clear in the jump-off, stopping the timers in 34.16 seconds, almost two seconds faster than the second place finisher.
Barrios recalled, “There were six clear and I went fourth (in the jump-off). Todd (Minikus) still had to go after me, so I went for it. I tried to go fast and it worked out well.”
The pair were also second in the $10,000 Gambler’s Choice class. In the $75,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Prix de Penn National, Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11 advanced to the jump-off and finished seventh.
“She’s jumping really well,” Barrios said of Quick Star 11. “We switched to a hackamore, and I think she really likes it. She is jumping much better; she’s more round (and) in better form. I was very pleased with her. Hopefully we will go to World Cup Finals with her. She seems like a good indoor horse.”
Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11
Barrios and G&C Sinatra were fifth in the $7,500 Time First Jump-off class and third in the $5,000 Open Jumper speed class. On G&C Blanchee Z, Barrios was seventh in the Gambler’s Choice.
Gustavo Mirabal said, “G&C Quick Star and Pablo are matching better every day. Pablo did a few changes with her, and it was really good to see how they jump better and better. G&C Sinatra did a great job and G&C Blanchee is getting better every day.”
“The horses were really good the whole time,” Barrios said. “I liked the format of the horse show and we didn’t have too many horses, so we could be more focused. I really enjoyed indoors, and the footing was great.”
Mirabal added, “The first indoor show was a great start for G&C Farm. We earned important points for the ROLEX FEI ranking and valuable points for the World Cup Finals. Our escuderÃa team is still strong and we are ready to win again!”
Barrios and G&C Farm will compete next at the Washington International Horse Show on October 26-31, 2010.
Please visit www.farmgc.com for more information on G&C Farm, their riders, and their horses. You can also find out more by visiting the G&C Farm page on Facebook or follow G&C Farm on Twitter.
G&C Farm brings exceptional horses and top Venezuelan jumper riders to the highest levels of competition. Their state-of-the-art, full-service facility is located in Wellington, FL.
The vision of G&C Farm is to improve the instruction and training of their top jumper riders and horses in order to seek a place on the Venezuelan team for all high level tournaments and top competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. G&C Farm sponsors top grand prix rider Pablo Barrios of Venezuela, as well as other up and coming riders. The technical advisor at G&C Farm is Olympic Games course designer Leopoldo Palacios.
For more information on G&C Farm, please visit www.farmgc.com.
Photo Credit: Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11 won the $30,000 PA Big Jump class at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Photo © Al Cook Photography. This photo may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit.