Langley, BC, Canada – June 8, 2010 – In another strong week of competition, Pablo Barrios of Wellington, FL, finished second in the $55,000 BC Open World Cup Grand Prix on Saturday, June 5, at the BC Open Tournament at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Barrios rode G&C Quick Star 11, owned by G&C Farm and Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal, to the top placing. G&C Farm’s state-of-the-art jumper facility is based in Wellington, FL.
Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11, a 12-year-old KWPN mare by Quick Star x Grannus, were one of 26 entries in the World Cup qualifying grand prix. The course designer was Peter Grant, and Barrios commented, “It was a pretty tough course. There were a few tall verticals, and the oxers had a good spread. The track was very nice, and it was good for our first World Cup qualifier (this season).”
In the jump-off, Barrios was chasing the winning time set by Rich Fellers and Flexible. “Unfortunately in the jump-off I had a rail down. I was trying to catch Rich’s time. I did it but had the the second to last fence down. I ended up second because Ashlee Bond had the same rail down but wasn’t as fast,” Barrios recalled.
Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star 11
Barrios gained valuable points to qualify for the 2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals, which will be held in April in Leipzig, Germany. Barrios is already qualified for this year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, held in October in Lexington, Kentucky. Barrios said, ” It’s a good start to the year, and I want to get some points early for the World Cup Finals.”
The pair also finished fourth in the $30,000 Thunderbird Show Park Spring Classic Grand Prix, CSI 2*. There were 30 entries in the class.
Both Barrios and Gustavo Mirabal were complimentary of the Thunderbird Show Park. Barrios noted, “Everyone at the show was a very good host to us. We had rain, but the grass ring was impeccable for the grand prix.”
“We had a strong two weeks here,” said Mirabal. “It is a very nice horse show. The owner, Jane Tidball, was very welcoming. The crowds were really good, and the footing was fantastic. We’ll definitely be back for next year’s show.”
G&C Farm and Pablo Barrios will participate in five weeks of competition in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for the Spruce Meadows Tournaments, beginning on June 9 through July 11.
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: Photo © 2010 Totem Photographics, www.totemphotographics.com. These photos may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit but must receive permission to used in print.