DEVON, Pa.--Rodrigo Pessoa on Venice Beach won the $37,000 Devon International Speed Stake CSI4* on Wednesday evening at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

Rodrigo Pessoa on Venice Beach (Photo by Allyson Lagiovane for Phelps Sports)A field of 23 competed over Olaf Peterson Jr.’s 17-obstacle course.

Going 11th in the order Pessoa of Brazil was clean in 66.92 seconds.

Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza on Dublin, going 15th, was clean 68.15 seconds,, but three rounds later 17-year-old Zayna Rizvi took over second place on Excellent, finishing in 67.68 seconds.

“I’ve been with Venice Beach for five years," said Pessoa. "This is the kind of class that she excels at. The track was good, I was cautious going around the turns. She’s a mare that has a lot of torque so the turns were a little bit cautious but the rest of the course I let her do her thing. Usually she is in the top ribbons and I don’t like to get in her way."

“I knew there were still good competitors behind me, and I had a plan to be tight everywhere and do the right numbers," he said. "I didn’t add anywhere or lose time, I just let her go. She is quicker across the ground, she’s been in very good shape lately. The last two weeks at Old Salem she won three out of four classes, and was third in the fourth class so she’s been on a roll. She’s been an incredible mare for me and Artemis Farms.”

“She will go tomorrow, then we are off for a couple of weeks before we go to Europe," said Pessoa. "I have a very good 9-year-old that we are trying to get ready for next year and the year after, so we are taking a little bit of patience with him because he’s really special and we are going to wait for that.”

“It’s good to be back here, this is one of the most traditional shows in the U.S," he said. "It has a great atmosphere and it’s always great to compete here. The enthusiasm of the crowd is always great and it’s a really nice event.”