Luis Larrazabal and Quintus Fabius Take $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix

Press release TIEC – Luis Larrazabal of Wellington, FL, and Quintus Fabius rode to a spectacular win in the $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix to conclude Tryon Summer II at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), stopping the clock in 38.777 seconds for the win. Abigail McArdle of Wellington, FL, and Contessina Della Caccia almost stole the win, finishing just fifteen hundredths of a second off the winning pace to earn a time of 38.785 seconds. Louise Graves of Franklin, TN, and Zavira took third place, completing the course in 41.564 seconds. Competition at TIEC resumes on Wednesday, July 13, with the start of Tryon Summer III featuring the first FEI CSI 4* of the season.

Capturing his first Under 25 Grand Prix win with Quintus Fabius, Larrazabal explained the 2007 Hanoverian gelding (Quality x Lady P) owned by Isabela Pacanins, just recently moved up to contest this height over the past year. Speeding through the jump-off round to narrowly edge McArdle for the win, Larrazabal was elated with the victory and described his initial plan after walking the track set by Martin Otto (GER).

„When I walked the course I was impressed. I’ve done the other two Under 25 classes here and this was for sure the toughest so far,“ he explained. „This horse is new to this height so when I was done walking the course my goal was to really just do my best.“

„I thought to myself that if I went clear around this course it would be my lucky day because he doesn’t have a lot of experience at this level,“ he added.

While Quintus Fabius may still be finding his feet at the top levels, his willingness and bravery is consistent each time Larrazabal enters the ring. The pair, who have gained experience together throughout the spring season, will look to continue their success in the Under 25 classes.

„The good thing is he has a huge heart. He always tries his hardest. He doesn’t have perfect technique, but he’s very scopey and his heart and try is what makes him special,“ he elaborated. „The scope is really important and I think that’s what helped us today.“

„I can put him in the spot I want and he will always try his best to get there from where I ask him,“ noted Larrazabal.

The jump-off featured two other naturally fast riders in McArdle and Graves, and Larrazabal felt that he needed to push through the short course if he was to secure the win. McArdle tried hard to catch the time set by Larrazabal, finishing just short, but making for an exciting finish.

„In the jump-off, I definitely think I made up the little bit of time that separated us between fences one and two. I think both of them added one or two more strides in there than we did,“ he detailed. „For the last line, we pushed for it and that’s where we sealed it.“

„I think that Abigail is generally much faster than me, especially with that horse, but today was my lucky day,“ smiled Larrazabal.

Bringing up a number of young horses this season, Larrazabal hopes to continue his success throughout the summer and is eyeing a move to the FEI level during the fall circuit.

„With Quintus Fabius, I’m just so happy with our results today. This is perfect for him and I’m going to keep him in the Under 25 Grand Prix classes for the rest of the season,“ he said. „I also have a couple of horses moving up that will be able to do the FEI classes later this year and we’re aiming for the fall. The rest of the horses are young and developing, which is very fun for me too.“

Noel Fauntleroy of Manakin Sabot, VA, and her own Mae, led the $10,000 High Junior/Amateur Owner Classic, taking the class with a jump-off time of 40.048 seconds and earning the fastest four fault round. Victoria Karam of Wellington, FL, and her own New Life HM, captured second place, stopping the clock in 42.471 seconds, finishing with just a single rail down. Fernando Lozinsky of Flemington, NJ, and his own Tamerlan Du Poncel secured third place with 12 faults and a time of 41.903 seconds around the short course.

Competition at TIEC resumes on Wednesday, July 13, with the start of Tryon Summer III, which will conclude Sunday, July 17. For more information and to see a full list of results please visit www.tryon.com.

Final Results $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix

1. QUINTUS FABIUS, 2007 Hanoverian gelding by Quality x Lady P
LUIS LARRAZABAL, Isabela Pacanins: 0/0/38.777

2. CONTESSINA DELLA CACCIA, 2008 Selle Francais mare by Contefino x Cassini
ABIGAIL MCARDLE, Plain Bay Sales: 0/0/38.785

3. ZAVIRA, 2004 Dutch Warmblood mare by Karandasj x Tavira
LOUISE GRAVES, Deerfield Farm LLC: 0/0/41.564

4. NEPAL, 2002 Argentine gelding by G.S. Raimundo x Rye Grass Finest RP H-31
TAYLOR LAND, Jay Land: 4/65.975

5. HOLD ON TIGHT II, 2009 Belgian Warmblood gelding Cassini II x Tulipe
MARK BLUMAN, Stransky’s Mission Farms, Inc.: 4/66.025

6. ARMANI SL Z, 2008 Zangershiede stallion by Asca Z x Cumlaude Z
EUGENIO GARZA, El Milagro: 4/67.733

7. WALTER 61, 2002 Saschen Warmblood gelding by Werenfels x Fortuna II
EMANUEL ANDRADE, Emanuel Andrade: 4/68.796

8. ULTIMO, 2001 Warmblood gelding
MARK BLUMAN, Stransky’s Mission Farms, Inc.: 4/69.079

9. LAWFULL Z, 2007 Zangersheide gelding by Lawito x Quarterful
EUGENIO GARZA, El Milagro: 4/71.957

10. CABRAS, 2004 Holsteiner mare by Colman x Ostia IV
NOEL FAUNTLEROY, Noel Fauntleroy: 7/74.112

11. NOKIA DE BREKKA, 2001 Selle Francais gelding by Quick Star x Hermine de Brekka
EMANUEL ANDRADE, Emanuel Andrade: 8/67.578

12. NENUPHAR’JAC, 2001 Selle Francais gelding by Cumano x Anemone du Col
MARK BLUMAN, Stransky’s Mission Farms, Inc.: 8/68.0

Source: Press release TIEC