Carlos Hank Guerreiro and H5 Quantador 3 Dominate on the Field to Win the $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix

Wellington, Fla. – Feb. 16, 2020 – The top young athletes from around the world came together for Sunday’s $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix to close out Week Six of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). The U25 series moved to the grass during week six, offering athletes a fresh venue and a chance to test their abilities on the turf. At the end of the two-round competition, it was Mexico’s Carlos Hank Guerreiro aboard H5 Quantador 3 who jumped the quickest and claimed victory. 

Many combinations found it difficult to make it around the 15-effort first-round course set by designer Casty Cruz (MEX) in the 74 seconds allowed, with several riders leaving all the rails intact but accruing several time faults. Others were bested by a tricky water jump just past the course’s midway point. Of the 50 horse-and-rider duos that took to the field, 15 laid down fault-free rides, earning a spot in the jump off. 

Zoe Conter and H-Cassino

Whittled down to eight efforts, the tiebreaker course allowed athletes 50 seconds to put in their best round. Several athletes mastered the course early on, with nine combinations making it around clear and each seeming to ride just a little bit faster than the last. Charlise Casas (USA) in the irons on Diamond M surpassed the previous lead time by fractions of a second to push herself into first. However, they were soon surpassed by Zoe Conter (BEL) on H-Cassino who finished the course in 38.274 seconds, just a tenth of a second quicker than Casas. One of the last riders on the course, Carlos Hank Guerreiro and his mount, the 12-year-old gelding H5 Quantador 3 owned by H5 Stables, executed a beautiful round in just 36.186 seconds, making them the final rider to slide into first place, and ultimately take home the win. 

Charlise Casas and Diamond M

While some duos appeared to struggle with the challenges brought by the change in venue, Guerrerio and his mount benefited from the grassy footing and spacious arena. Guerrerio grew up competing on the turf, and felt comfortable opening up his horse’s stride on the spacious field. He was thrilled to earn the victory, having competed in the important division for four years as a developing athlete. 

Carlos Hank Guerreiro and H5 Quantador 3

WEF competition will continue at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center during the seventh week of the series, with the highlight event being the FEI $401,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSI5* held Saturday night in the International Arena. 

FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE

Carlos Hank Guerreiro – FEI $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix winner

On competing on the field:

“I love the field. My horse is naturally fast, and in this arena I can let him open up his gallop. That’s where he shines. I like the grass also. I find that it has a bit of a different feeling, but I grew up riding on a lot of grass arenas and I’ve always liked big open spaces and galloping so I love the week out here.”

Carlos Hank Guerreiro and H5 Quantador 3

On the U25 Division:

“This is my third or fourth year competing in the U25 division. I think it’s a really crucial division to have here. It’s a step between the big 5* and international classes and the junior or amateur classes. It brings together different levels so younger riders get to compete against older, more experienced riders and the more experienced riders get to challenge the younger generations. It’s a useful thing to have.”

On H5 Quantador 3:

“I’ve had him for five years. He came to me when he was seven, and he’s always been really talented. His mind took a little while to develop, but now he’s the horse that wins the most money and ranking points at the stables. I love him and know him really well, and these speed classes are where he shines. He loves to go fast so the faster the better.”

RESULTS

$25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix
Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R1 Time / R2 Faults / R2 Time
1. H5 Quantador 3 / Carlos Hank Guerreiro / H5 Stables / 0 | 68.97 / 0 | 36.186
2. H-Cassino / Zoe Conter / Stephex Stables / 0 | 70.31 / 0 | 38.247
3. Diamond M / Charlise Casas / Always Faithful Equine LLC / 0 | 70.86 / 0 | 38.369
4. Feminka / Tanimara Macari / Tanimara Macari / 0 | 72.47 / 0 | 38.702
5. Legolas Ter Wilgen / Emilie Conter / Stephex Stables / 0 | 68.36 / 0 | 38.969
6. Con Pleasure 5 / Flo Norris / Cisca Norris / 0 | 68.21 / 0 | 39.556
7. Milan IV / Delaney Flynn / Grace Jacobsen / 0 | 70.37 / 0 | 39.931
8. Diamants Aurora / Jessica Mendoza / Jessica Mendoza / 0 | 69.32 / 0 | 40.128
9. Dreamer des Bergeries / Samantha Wight / Melissa Wight / 0 | 72.01 / 0 | 45.727
10. Famous / Katherine Strauss / Katherine Strauss LLC / 0 | 73.54 / 4 | 39.313
11. Voyou de Bobois / Flore Giraud / Delphine Giraud / 0 | 69.5 / 4 | 39.35
12. Calvin Van’t Ameldonk Z / Donovan Ross / Halo Capital / 0 | 72.73 / 4 | 43.23

For full results, click here.

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