February 20, 2024 
Some jump offs are a test of stride length and speed. Others favor cat-like agility. Sometimes, you just need to keep the poles in their cups.
That was exactly the case for Brazil’s Santiago Lambre & Chacco Blue II, who took the win on Saturday in the CSI 5* Grand Prix at the H.H. the Amir’s Sword International Equestrian Festival, held at Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar. The pair were the only double-clear combination in the field of 25 on course designer Ramin Shafiee’s challenging, 1.60m track.
Only four riders, in fact, qualified for the shortened course, where Lambre and the 17-year-old OS stallion posted another fault-free performance, stopping the clock at 33.05 seconds. Abdullah Alsharbatly of Saudi Arabia was significantly faster on 29.97 seconds, but dropped a single pole with the 16-year-old KWPN gelding, Alamo. Denmark’s Rikke Belinda Barker—also on four faults—took third with Tabalou PS (35.66 seconds), while Emanuele Gaudiano of Italy finished on eight faults and 30.43 seconds with Nikolaj de Music.
“THE greatest day in our showjumping career,” Lambre, 48, wrote on his Instagram, where he also thanked his team and his one-eyed, senior stallion’s vet, Puli Convit. (Chacco Blue II lost his left eye when he was a yearling.) According to Jumpr App, this is the third win and 13th podium finish for Lambre and Chacco Blue II, who have been paired together since 2021. The stallion was previously campaigned by Brazil’s Luciana Diniz.
In January, Lambre & Chacco Blue II were banging on the door, taking second in the 1.60m Grand Prix at Al Shaqab. Yet February’s H.H. the Amir’s Sword International Equestrian Festival marked an even more successful campaign for the red-hot Brazilian rider, who won not just Saturday’s 1.60m class with Chacco Blue II, but also the 1.45m class on Friday with Cetano Van Aspergem Z, and the 1.50m qualifier on Thursday with Zeusz.
It hasn’t exactly been bad for his pocketbook, either. According to Jumpr App, Lambre—who currently sits at #50 in the world—has already earned more than €124,500 in prize money in just the first two months of 2024. That’s more than the much higher-ranked Kent Farrington (USA), Julien Epaillard (FRA), and World #2 Ben Maher.
