Toronto, ON, Canada – November 17, 2010 – G&C Farm had a very successful week at The Royal Horse Show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pablo Barrios competed aboard G&C Farm horses and won two classes. With an incredible string of top finishes this year, Barrios has vaulted into the top 30 riders in the world in the FEI ROLEX World Rankings. 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.
As of October 31, Barrios is ranked 30th in the world, and with his top finishes in Toronto, is expected to move up to 22nd in the rankings released next month. It has been an incredible year for Barrios, who started out 10 months ago ranked in the 93rd position.
Outside of Brazil, Barrios is currently the only Latin American in the top 100 ranked riders. He has made history for Venezuela as their top ranked rider ever. Barrios is the first rider in history from “Group V” (the FEI geographical area which includes Venezuela) to be ranked in the top 30 in the world.
“This was one of our goals this year, to be in the top 30 by the end of the year. The mission is complete,” Barrios said with a smile. “I’ve been here for a long time trying to figure out how to do this. With the help of Gustavo and G&C Farm, I have more horses and we can travel and really go for points. We showed at Spruce Meadows this year with a strong group of horses and showed in Europe. I got good points at the World Equestrian Games and indoors, too.”
He went on to say, “You always have a goal like this in the back of your mind when you get in the sport, and you know how hard it is to get there. Sometimes it feels difficult to get there, but Gustavo and G&C Farm have been a huge support. With his help, things are much easier. He has clever ideas to reach these goals. Even at this point, I think it’s possible to go even further, to be in the top 15 or better.”
“We finally did it,” Gustavo Mirabal agreed. “Our first goal this year was to get into the best 30 riders in the FEI ROLEX ranking. I sleep better now knowing that Pablo has reached the elite of our sport. It is very hard to get there and it is a sensational feeling to reach our goal. I think the key to our success is that Pablo and I have exactly the same dream. That is not easy to find. I really want to congratulate Pablo, especially for achieving this goal through his professionalism and discipline. G&C Farm and I were just the vehicle for him to reach the elite level; Pablo really deserves to be there and stay there.”
Barrios’ continued success through the fall indoor season bolstered his rankings. At The Royal Horse Show, he and G&C Sinatra won the $31,000 Jolera International Jumper Welcome and were seventh in the $75,000 Ricoh Big Ben International Challenge and $31,000 International Jumper class. On G&C Blanchee Z, he was victorious in the $31,000 International Top Score class and placed 10th in the $15,000 International Jumper Challenge. He and G&C Quick Star 11 placed eighth in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open.
Pablo Barrios and G&C Blanchee Z at The Royal Horse Show
“Toronto was really nice and the horse show was amazing with a very nice crowd,” Barrios said. “It is a good thing to have such a strong group of horses so that when one isn’t doing as well, others are winning classes. You need a good string of horses to stay at the top.”
The previous week, G&C Farm and Barrios competed at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in Syracuse, NY. G&C Farm was the presenting sponsor of the $100,000 Detwiler Fenton FEI World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse.
It was Barrios’ first time competing in Syracuse. “It is a very good horse show,” he said. “I was very impressed with the organization. They had good footing and a nice schedule. I didn’t have the best results, but it was one of the best horse shows that we’ve been to.”
Barrios is working towards qualifying for the 2011 FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany. Although he qualified once before through shows in Venezuela, he has never competed at the Finals. “I think we’re in a good spot right now,” Barrios said.
“We had a phenomenal year. We heard the Venezuelan national anthem and saw our flag raised in all of the countries where we competed,” Mirabal said. “That is a very emotional experience and was another of our goals: to put the Venezuelan flag in the highest level that we can.”
He continued, “This was the start of the journey, and what a magnificent start! I know that this year is just the start and that it is not just getting there, but staying there. I am going to do my best to help Pablo continue this success. It is impossible to do if you don’t have a strong escuderia and if everyone on the team doesn’t have the same dream. I have to give special thanks to Leopoldo Palacios, who has been with us from the start.”
Barrios and G&C Farm will compete next at the Holiday and Horses Show in Wellington, FL, on November 31-December 5. He plans to compete in the $50,000 World Cup qualifier grand prix with his WEG mount, G&C LaGran, who started back to work last week after a nice break following the championships.
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 Blanchee Z won at The Royal Horse Show. Photo © Cealy Tetley, www.tetleyphoto.com, and at the WIHS, photo copyright Jennifer Wood Media, Inc. These photos may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit.