CONYERS, GA. JUNE 28, 2007—At the Atlanta Summer Classics’ Lucky Sevens Welcome Stake, it wasn’t the humidity, but the heat that got the crowd. The heat, that is, coming off the Grand Prix Arena at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers as winner Sergio Campos smoked the competition in, literally, the final scorching stride of a 14-player jump off.

Aboard Mill Creek Sancho, a 7-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Ontario’s Mill Creek Stables, Campos seemed to amble through the twisty “S” turns of the first few obstacles of the course designed by Allen Rheinheimer before gunning it to the final fence for a final time of 33.335, shaving 3 tenths of a second off of Pablo Barrios’ already blistering time of 33.643.

“I had a chance to watch a lot of the other competitors,” said Campos who went 12th of 14 in the jump off, “ and knowing Sancho well, I knew that the first few roll backs--well, he’s too green for that. But he has a really big stride and I thought I could make up time and take strides off the last line.” Which he did, two strides to be exact. “He’s the real deal,” added Campos, who also captured last week’s Welcome aboard his 10-year-old homebred mare Shakira do Jacare. “He’s probably the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”

Campos and Shakira also had a speedy round of 33.972, but had an unfortunate 2nd rail down and ended up in 6th place.

Pablo Barrios, in second place, had two dazzling rounds on the Anna Lisa Smith-owned Tibor. The team went 4th in the jump off and set the time to beat at 33.642--a time no one came close to until Campos entered the ring aboard Shakira. “He’s a super careful horse,” said Barrios of Tibor, the 11-year-old Belgian-bred gelding with whom he won the $25,000 EMO Grand Prix just last Saturday. “He really has a lot of heart, he’s a winner.”

Of the staring field of 31 riders, 14 made the jump off, including Rodrigo Bermeo on his horse Kilombo, who ended in 3rd place with a final time of 34.030, Daniel Geitner on the Sherry Cooke-owned Miraj, who came 4th with a time of 34.648, and owner-rider Deborah Connor aboard Hiberia Rouge, who took 5th with a time of 35.838.

The Atlanta Summer Classics continue with more hunter/jumper and Grand Prix action through July 1st. Week II is highlighted by the “Horses Helping Horses” charity event on Saturday June 30th, featuring a Silent Auction (10AM until 4PM in the Carriage Room), the Outback Steakhouse ringside dinner (6 pm at the dinner tent adjacent to the GP arena), and the $25,000 Outback Steakhouse “Horse Helping Horses” Grand Prix at 7 pm. All proceeds from both the auction and dinner go to Old Friends, a Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, KY. Admission is free to the public (with the exception of Outback dinner-tickets, which can be purchased by calling Becky Miles at 404-791-5963 or at the show grounds).