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Back to Back Wins for Barrios in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic

Pablo Barrios and Antares soar to victory.

Lexington, KY – August 15, 2014 – Who ever said lightning never strikes the same place twice has not met Pablo Barrios. The Venezuelan rider once again piloted Antares to the top of the pack in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic presented by Zoetis, mimicking his effort two weeks prior in the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix.

The win comes just in time for Barrios to add to his stockpile of points for the Hagyard Leading Rider Bonus before he jets off to Normandy for the World Equestrian Games. The $50,000 bonus is given to the rider accumulating the most points throughout the Hagyard Challenge Series, a summer-long set of seven show jumping events at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Friday night’s prix marks the fifth class in the series.

“I’m really, really happy with the result today, because I was looking for this from the beginning to make sure I got the bonus,” Barrios said of the win. “I’m not going to be able to go to the last two Hagyard Series prixs because I’ll be in Europe, so I wanted this to happen and I think I’ve done all I can to keep the bonus.”

That’s an understatement. Barrios has more than twice the number of points as the next closest rider, and he has earned them on a number of different horses, Antares being his most recent victor. The 9-year-old bay gelding is getting ready to compete in the WEG with Barrios, and looks to be in fine form.

“Antares is a new mount for me. I just got him in April, but we have already developed a very good relationship,” Barrios said. “I was a little concerned if he would be fast enough, because he’s a big horse, but he’s really fast. He turns really well. He moves quick off the ground. He’s pretty special to me.”

Barrios is not kidding when he says the big gelding is quick and agile. Thirteen horses jumped clean over the Allen Rheinheimer designed course, and Antares went early in the jump off with plenty of speed horses behind him, including second place finisher Ramiro Quintana on Caramello Z. Barrios shaved seconds off his time by taking an inside turn coming out of a one stride combination to a vertical before galloping for the finish over the Hagyard fence.

“He’s so clever,” Barrios said of Antares. “I mean when I turned to that vertical after the in and out, I found the vertical at the last minute after the inside turn, and he just pats the ground and jumps beautiful.

He also has a big stride, so I could leave a stride out to the last fence, and he still tries to leave the rails up,” Barrios continued. “I’m very happy with that horse.”

In sharp contrast to Barrios’ big horse was second place finisher Ramiro Quintana’s mount Caramello Z. The short and spicy 9-year-old mare missed the winning time in the jump off by fractions of a second.

Ramiro Quintana and Caramello Z put in a speedy jump off round to grab second place
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Ramiro Quintana and Caramello Z put in a speedy jump off round to grab second place

“Her grandmother is Ratina Z, so she’s got a lot of blood in her breeding,” Quintana said of the mare. “She’s definitely has a lot of blood and a lot of character, which is a good thing, but you have to keep her contained, because otherwise she’s like a loose cannon.”

Quintana is pretty confident he could have outpaced Barrios and Antares, but a momentary lapse in focus cost him in the jump off.

“I was planning on doing six strides one to two,” Quintana said of his jump off plan, “but I had a hard rub at the second fence, and after that it was an inside turn. I lost my concentration for a second because I was listening to hear if the pole was coming down.

So I couldn’t really cut the stride going into the horseshoe jump,” Ramiro continued, “and I lost the class there. I just lost my concentration for a fraction of a second, and it cost me.”

Speaking of the horseshoe jump, the fence Quintana is referencing caught a fair number of horses and riders off-guard in Friday’s class, collecting more than its share of rails and refusals. Designed and built by Steve Stephens, the uniquely shaped jump was used earlier in the day in the first round of the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, and both Quintana and Barrios admit they made an error in how they approached it with their first mounts in the class.

“It’s not a fence we’re used to jumping, but I made a mistake with my first horse and with Antares to go show them that fence,” Barrios said. Both he and Quintana let their horses halt and sniff at the fence prior to starting the course.

“They really got very nervous; I think I shouldn’t have shown them it,” Barrios continued. “I think they were expecting for the whole course when that jump was coming, and they were jumping a little tense. The last horse I didn’t show it, and he looked at it but he jumped it really well.”

Quintana is in agreement on both the challenge of the fence and how to address it, though he learned the hard way. He rode Versus before Caramello Z in the first round, and chose not to continue on Versus after running thorough the top rails of the horseshoe fence.

“I had a lot of problems there with my first horse; he spooked really hard there,” Quintana said. “When I went in with Caramello Z, I didn’t even show it to her. With my first horse I went in and I showed it to him and it almost spooked the horse even more.

“She went around and came to the fence and saw it at the last minute and jumped, and it was too late to do anything,” Quintana continued. “Sometimes that’s better – if you address it too much they get scared and they don’t know why you’re shoving this jump in their face.”

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute is one of the oldest and largest equine veterinary practices in the world. Founded in 1876, the institute offers a staff with qualifications unparalleled by any single non-university veterinary group in the equine industry, and Hagyard veterinarians have dedicated themselves to the health and wellbeing of the horse for more than 130 years.

The facility at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offers 13 Digital Radiology systems, 1.5 Tesla Siemens MRI, Nuclear Scintigraphy, a high speed treadmill, an on-site laboratory, an on-site pharmacy, full surgical services, 24-hour emergency services and Hyperbaric Medicine. The institute has practiced veterinary medicine for more than 133 years and is currently composed of over 60 experienced veterinarians, with 12 board certifications in specialty areas of Medicine, Surgery, Critical Care, and Theriogenology.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: title sponsor MWI Veterinary Supply, and presenting sponsor Zoetis, as well as Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra HA, Johnson Horse Transport, Hallway Feeds, Kirk Horse Insurance LLC, Pike and Preston, and Stoll Keenon Ogden.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Kentucky Summer Series Fast Facts

Events:
Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, USEF National Pony Finals, Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and KHJA Horse Show, and the 2014 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals.

What:
The Kentucky Horse Show LLC’s 2014 series includes five weeks of top competition throughout the summer. These premier hunter/jumper competitions host the Hagyard Challenge Series with seven grand prix competitions that culminate with a Leading Rider Award, as well as the Hallway Feeds National Derby Series.

Where:
Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™. Home to the United States Equestrian Federation.

When:

NORTH AMERICAN JUNIOR & YOUNG RIDER CHAMPIONSHIPS – July 15-20, 2014
KENTUCKY SUMMER HORSE SHOW – July 23-27, 2014
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby

KENTUCKY SUMMER CLASSIC – July 29 – August 3, 2014
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix sponsored by GGT Footings
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby

2014 USEF PONY FINALS – August 5-10, 2014
BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL HORSE SHOW – August 12-17, 2014
USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals
USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Championship
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby
WCHR Member Event

KHJA HORSE SHOW – August 20-24, 2014
$10,000 Hagyard Welcome Stake
$30,000 KHJA Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby

Sponsors:
A special thanks to the generous sponsors of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows: Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Hallway Feeds, Audi of Lexington, GGT Footing, Equestrian Services International, Johnson Horse Transportation, Farm Vet, Dietrich Insurance, Take2 Thoroughbred Program, Sleepy P Ranch, and the Official Hotel The Clarion

Hours:
8am – 5pm daily

Parking:
Horse Show Exhibitors may purchase a weekly parking pass at the main Horse Park entrance for $15.00. Dogs are permitted at the Kentucky Horse Park on a leash.

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located 8 miles northeast of Lexington, Kentucky at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
Before Show – (859) 233-0492, Email: hakshows@earthlink.net
During Show – Telephone: (859) 254-3343, Fax: (859) 231-6097
Stabling – Email Tom Blankenship at tomblank@bellsouth.net
Stable office – Before Show: (843) 269-4737, During Show: (859) 255-0605
Prize List Advertising – Email Cindy Bozan at cindy@kentuckyhorseshows.com or call (859) 608-3709
Vendors – Email Cindy Bozan at cindy@kentuckyhorseshows.com or call (859) 608-3709

Shownet – www.shownet.biz

Website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Ring Dimensions/Specs:

The Stonelea Ring, Murphy Ring, Walnut Ring, Stonelea/Murphy Schooling Ring, the Alltech Arena and the Rolex Stadium have Otto Sport footing consisting of fine sand and synthetic fiber on pvc mats. The Claiborne, Annex, and Covered Arena (old) rings’ footing consists of a sand cushion on limestone base. The dimensions of the competition areas are as follows:

Stonelea: 140′x 280′, Murphy: 135′x 280′, Stonelea and Murphy Schooling: 110′x 400′
Walnut: 300′x 370′, Claiborne: 140′x 270′, Annex 130′x 250′, Covered Arena (old): 145′x 285′ Rolex Stadium: 360′ x 384′, Alltech Arena: 132′ x 265′

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located adjacent to the Stonelea Ring.

Hotels:

CLARION HOTEL (Formerly Holiday Inn North) – 859-233-0512 – Approximately 4 miles (OFFICIAL HOTEL)
Discover the place where elegant comfort in an ideal location meets excellent service and affordability. At the Clarion Hotel Lexington, you’ll find well-appointed accommodations with options of double/doubles, double queens, king rooms or suites, exceptional amenities such as our free hot breakfast buffet, and Southern hospitality at its finest. The best hotel for Keeneland – located in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region – home of the Kentucky Horse Park, the Lexington Convention Center, University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail – our Lexington hotel is on Newtown Pike at Exit 115 on I-75, close to all the big attractions, and is the perfect place to stay whether you’re here to get down to business or have some fun. Best of all, bring your furry friends for any trip because the Clarion Hotel in Lexington is also pet-friendly.

CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS:
Reservations may not be made through the Horse Show office. To reserve a campsite at the Kentucky Horse Park for any of the horse shows, please call the Campground store at (800) 370-6416 or 859-259-4157 or email Sherry Logan at sherryd.logan@ky.gov. Be specific as to the show name and the dates you wish to stay. Check-in time is 2:00 p.m. and check-out is 12:00 noon. You must make arrangements with the Campground store if you plan to arrive earlier than 2:00 p.m. or stay later than 12:00 noon. Vehicles that are not removed from a campsite by check-out time will be towed.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Media Contact:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

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