CONYERS, GA—June 30, 2007—At Saturday's $25,000 Outback Steakhouse Grand Prix, the highlight of week II of the Atlanta Summer Classic, it all came down to the queen of speed.

In a starting field of 31, not one of the first 23 contenders managed to score a clear round on the thorny 14-fence field designed by Allen Rheinheimer for the Georgia International Horse Park‘s Grand Prix Arena. That is until Sergio Campos, aboard his 10-year-old homebred mare Shakira do Jacare, took the field. The horse and rider team navigated the course perfectly to score the only clean round of the night and an automatic win of the Outback-sponsored class that benefits the charity "Horses Helping Horses."

The field, characterized by an impressive lineup of international riders--many headed to July‘s Pan Am Games--did yield several excellent four-fault rounds, including second place finishers Rodrigo Bermeo and Kilombo and 3rd place finishers Pablo Barrios and Curioso Z. In the 4th spot was Pablo Andrade on Hanz while Carolos Ramierz landed the 5th place ribbon aboard Amazonas. But as one rider noted: "The course really won tonight."

"Some of the riders were talking and felt this was the toughest Grand Prix here in Atlanta since the Olympics," noted Campos, adding that everyone was nevertheless "impressed with Rheinheimer's challenging course."

Shakira was one of three mounts for Campos, and not the horse Campos expected to succeed. "When I walked the course, I thought for sure this was the course for Sancho," said the Brazilian-born rider of his 2nd mount of the night, Mill Creek Sancho, owned by Mill Creek Stables, and winner of Thurday's Welcome Stake. And indeed the 7-year-old stallion did jump superbly but in the end had two rails down. "But Shakira…she's really funny," he continued of his impressive mare known for her speed and turn-of-foot, "when it matters, when it's really hard, sometimes something just snaps in her." Campos also rode Monkey Du Parc, owned by Dianna Rodolpho, who captured the YJC 7-year-Old division earlier in the week.

The Grand Prix was the final event in a full weekend of equestrians giving back. Earlier, riders, trainers and locally based spectators shopped a chock-a-block silent auction and then gathered at the tent perched ringside to enjoy the Outback Steakhouse-sponsored buffet dinner. Proceeds from both events will benefit Old Friends, a Thoroughbred Retirement Facility based in Georgetown, Kentucky. "This is the third year of Horses Helping Horses and it's just getting bigger and better every year," said Bob Bell, President of the Classic Company, who conceived the charity with Robbi Meisel, President of Flashpoint Photography and Flashpoint Media Services, and also donates a portion the entry fees from tonight's GP as well as last week's Hunter Classic.

"It's a great organization," added winning rider Campos, "and I'm always happy to participate when it‘s supporting horses."

For Meisel, the highlight of the evening had to be the introduction of Mick, her 8-year-old T'bred and Old Friends rescue who was part of a special presentation here in Atlanta. "Mick was 400 pounds under weight, had no heels, and was found living in…an abusive situation," Meisel touchingly told the crowd. "I wanted you to see what your generosity has done. It literally saved this handsome guy." Hunter rider Michele Allison and Over the Hill Farm's Bill Schaub, both of whom have volunteered their time to retrain the former racehorse escorted Mick. Allison has T'breds, several bred and raised at her Florida farm, many of which have become successful show horses so volunteering to work with Mick "just felt right." She added, "he's been a willing student from day one and we're all so proud of him."  Schaub, a renown trainer in his own rite, invited Mick to Over The Hill for the 2 months before tonight's big event, "I wanted him to not only look like these show horses, but feel good about the environment he was about to be sprung into."  Mick seemed happy enough to bask in all the attention this evening.

And on Friday evening it was another crowd favorite, the Trainer's Equitation Medal Class, where coaches swap roles with their students and end up being tested by judges on not only their riding skills, but also their singing voices. The class was gamely won by Stephen Heinecke of Hunters Lane Farm while Luke Tokaruk of the Tokaruk Show Stables took 2nd.

The Atlanta Summer Classics continues through Sunday July 1st For more information about Old Friends, see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org