DEVON, Pa.--Ibrahim Barazi of Jordan placed first and second in the $10000 Speed Stake at the Devon Fall Classic on Thursday evening, Sept. 13.
Ibrahim Barazi on Lennox van de Zeshoek (Photo by Olivia Airhart)Barazi, 35 of Leesburg, Va., on Khan VD Kattavennen Z went second in the Speed Stake and laid down a fast time to beat of 67.178 to hold the lead until he returned second to last on Lennox Van De Zeshoek to beat himself, finishing on 66.776 for the win.
Caitlin Boyle on Idal del Maset was third in 67.195, and local favorite Doug King of Chester Springs, Pa., was fourth on Main Line Girl in 72.374.
Barazi only started riding Lennox a shortt ime ago but started winning right away, finishing third in the speed class at the Hampton Classic a couple of weeks ago.
“I have been here many, many times and it is one of my favorite shows,” satd Barazi. “And I love, love, love the town.”
“It’s just such a great show and a nice turn-out and you don’t get this atmosphere at many places,” Barazi said. “Having a feature class every night makes it really exciting for the riders and the locals to come out and watch.”
Barazi grew up in Jordon, where he often skipped school to escape to the local riding school.
AS A 17-YEAR-OLD, he moved to the United States to finish high school and attend George Mason University in Virginia, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Business Management.
He begged a job from Joe Fargis, where he started raking the grass, gradually learning more about horses, how to take care of them and ride them properly.
In the beginning, he was afraid to compete, but Fargis kept giving him horses to ride and eventually Barazi overcame his fear of competing and began buying his own horses.
He was the first Jordanian to win the FEI division at the Winter Equestrian Festival, when he won the $8,000 1.40m CSI 2* in 2018.
Devon Fall Classic newcomer, Rachael Lively of Should Be Fine Farm in Hampstead, Md.,on Prayer Hope won her first-ever Championship ribbon at Devon, while Devon veteran Andrew Ross on Electra added a Reserve Champion ribbon to his long list of accomplishments.
Prayer Hope started as a race horse, running on the flat ,and eventually was bought by Kingfisher Farm where he raced over hurdles. having a respectable career for three or four years before retiring.
Lively has been riding him for two years and has shown up to a 1.35m and in some mini prix in the local area.
But, more recently Prayer Hope has been the schoolmaster for several amateur riders as well as Lively’s daughter, Cassie.
Lively grew up showing horses, but came from a racing family, as did her husband, and both worked with racehorses prior to starting Should Be Fine Farm.
“My husband and I both worked for Kingfisher Farm and we now have a lot of thoroughbreds in our barn,” said Lively. “When there are ones that are retiring they check with us to see if we want another one!”
Ross, a rider and trainer based out of Foxfield Farm in Reinholds, Pa., has been showing at The Devon Horse Show and The Devon Fall Classic for years.
He returned to this year's Devon Fall Classic with Electra, an amazing thoroughbred mare who is still showing at 26 years old.
Ross on Electra went second to last on the final day of Take2 Thoroughbred Jumper competition, laying down the fastest time to win on Friday morning.
Electra is far from a stranger to the Devon, having shown at Devon since 2007.
In those 17 years, she has competed in countless classes including the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix where she placed 10th, the Welcome Jumper Stake, and the 1.40m jumpers where she placed first.
Electra started off her career as a racehorse in Maryland.
After a brief stint on the track, she was deemed too “uphill” to be fast and was restarted as a hunter.
It wasn’t until Olympic trainer, Pierre Jolicaire saw Electra doing a one stride in a Hunter two stride in and out that she was introduced to the jumper ring.
Jolicaire took over her training with the hope of marketing her with his other high-end show jumpers, and though she was one of the best in the barn, her thoroughbred breeding held potential buyers back from buying her.
Ross periodically rode the off-the-track thoroughbred when he was still an amateur rider in Virginia while she was with Jolicaire.
She passed through the hands of a few trainers before eventually, Ross purchased her as his own personal mount when she was just 6 years old.
And that is just the beginning of their two-decade-long partnership together.
When asked about the early months of their partnership, Ross said: “She would just jump so high over everything. We had a lot of time faults in the beginning because she spent so much time in the air jumping that high over all the fences, she just hung in the air so long.”
Eventually, the athletic mare found her stride and became the “cheat code” horse that she still is 20 years later.
“She still loves it, you know, she wants to come to the shows and wants to go in the ring." said Ross. "I was thinking about something today, ‘don’t you always want to go back and do something in your life that you had done a long time ago?’ And she lets me do it. I’ve had her for so long and she’s still competitive. She has the biggest heart of any horse I have ever met. There was nothing she wouldn’t try to win.”
After a highly successful career jumping in 1.45m grand prix and larger jumper classes, Electra has a newfound passion for speeding around in the Thoroughbred Jumper divisions, taking current rider, Rachael Kealey to Thoroughbred Jumper Champion titles at The Devon Fall Classic in 2022 and 2023.
Ross took back the reins of his longtime partner for the 2024 Devon Fall Classic, claiming the Reserve Champion title in the division.