Wellington, United States – January 17, 2026 – Luis Fernando Larrazabal (VEN) of Venezuela claimed his third major victory of the week in the $32,000 Hermès Classic 1.50m aboard Ribery on the grass derby field during Week 2 of the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
On Friday, Larrazabal took the win in the $32,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round II with his 11-year-old Westphalian mount, Baroness, and Saturday prevailed once again by topping the podium with Sabrina Lefebvre’s Ribery, a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Aganix du Seigneur.
“I can see that my horses are jumping their best, so I’m very excited and enjoying this moment because it doesn’t last forever,” said Larrazabal of his back-to-back wins.
Less than a second separated Larrazabal at 38.65 seconds and Ireland’s Bertram Allen (IRL) on a time of 39.43 seconds aboard Zero K, a 12-year-old Danish Warmblood mare owned by Oakland Training & Sales.
British Olympic champion Ben Maher (GBR) rounded out the podium with Ginger-Blue, a 15-year-old mare owned by Jane Forbes Clark, in a speedy 40.11 seconds.
Of the 12 riders to come back for the tiebreaker, Larrazabal was one of the last three to test the track designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER). “It helps going at the end because you can watch,” Larrazabal stated. “There was a tricky line after the double, and there was a 10 or a leave out for nine. If I were at the beginning, maybe I would’ve done the 10, but after watching Ben do the nine before me, I decided to give it a go.”
Larrazabal’s plan with Ribery throughout the season is to stay grounded and not push their limits. “She’s only nine, and she has all the top qualities, so I really don’t want to get ahead of myself,” he said.
Cheering from the sidelines, his family and team remain key components of the Venezuelan Olympian’s continued success. “I feel very grateful to have all these people here supporting me—my family, my parents, my uncle, and my friends. From day one, Sabrina and Stefan [owners of Ribery] have supported me and this mare, so it’s nice to give them a treat by taking the class.”
Final Results – $32,000 Hermès Classic – 1.50m
1) Luis Fernando Larrazabal (VEN) & Ribery – 0 / 0 – 38.65
2) Bertram Allen (IRL) & Zero K – 0 / 0 – 39.43
3) Ben Maher (GBR) & Ginger-Blue – 0 / 0 – 40.11
Source: Press Release from Wellington International
Photos: © Wellington International / Sportfot / Cassidy Klein
