Pablo Barrios and Le Vio, a 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Gut Einhaus LLC, topped the class in the $9,000 1.40 M Brookledge Speed Cup CSI 2* at the Lexington International CSI 2* 2018, part of the Split Rock Jumping Tour. Barrios, a two-time Olympian for his home country of Venezuela, piloted Le Vio around the course leaving all the obstacles in place in a speedy time of 54.00 seconds for the win. "He is a very nice young horse," said Barrios. "I have won a lot of 1.40/1.45 M classes with him. He goes a little bit better when you let him out a bit because he is very careful, so he covers the spreads of the oxers a bit better. This was a great preparation for the rest of the week because he will be more in front of my leg and ready to jump a little bigger. Today, every horse has to be a speed horse or you don't win anything. So, he is a very modern type horse. He is the type of horse I like to ride. I love this horse show. It is a great place to bring along young horses." 13 year old Ansgar Holtgers Jr. and his Queretaro 2 took home the blue ribbon in the $1,000 1.30 M Medium Junior/Amateur Owner Speed class with a clear round in a time of 49.689 seconds. "Queretaro 2 is a 10 year old gelding, said Holtgers. "I thought my round was perfect. My horse helped me all the way. I couldn't do this without him and all the amazing people behind me. He is super friendly in the barn. Sometimes he is a little skittish but not always. He is a great horse. One of the best." Hayley Barnhill and Emma Sargent's Didgeridoo emerged victorious in the $1,000 1.30 M NightWatch Jump Off class. The pair bested a field of 27 entries to take the top award with double clear rounds and a jump off time of 29.282 seconds. "She is a really fun horse with some experience," said Barnhill about her mount. "I get to show her this week because she is owned by a client and is for sale. I thought I would just take a shot and have some fun and she was right there for me. She is very easy going, pretty simple to ride, always game and really fast. She is like a little dirt bike to ride around. In essence she is a lot of fun. It felt pretty easy out there today for her. There was a tight inside turn in the jump off that she did really well and I think that is where we made up the time." The win in the $1,000 1.20 M Low Junior/Amateur Owner Speed class went to Petra Sobotova and her mount Jabab De Reve representing the Czech Republic. Of the 18 horse and rider combinations to post clear rounds over the course, they were the only pair to turn in a time below 50 seconds, 48.252 to claim the blue ribbon. "We got our first ribbon in America at Split Rock in Ohio," said Sobotova. "I have had podium finishes every time I have shown here. I think this a really fun and well run show. I love coming here because it almost feels like summer camp for grown-ups. He is the sweetest horse, when you get on in the schooling area you have to literally pony kick to get him going but the minute you go in the ring he is awake and he wants to go, he wants to turn and he really wants to win." Chilean rider Gabriella Reutter won the $1,000 1.20 M Jump Off class with Juan Reutter's Rusty Girl, turning in double clear rounds in a time of 29.363 seconds. "She is new," said Reutter. "I just got her at the end of WEF. She is 13 years old and she is very fast and game. I can turn and show her the fence a stride out and she just goes. She is really cute and she loves to cuddle. This is just my third week showing her and my second win. I am very excited about what's to come because we are off to a good start." Katie Lange piloted Aviero Agromix to victory in the 1.10 M Jump Off class. Lange, riding for the Dorothy E. O'Brien Farm LLC, turned in double clear rounds in a time of 31.465 seconds to claim the win. "He is a horse that I got in Brazil a year ago," said Lange. "He is an amateur horse and is so amazing. Just knows his job perfectly. It is so much fun to get to go in on one that knows his job and have some fun. I don't get to do that very often. When you are on his back he will take you to the end no matter what."
