Georgina Bloomberg showed style and speed as she consistently bested her elders to win the first major class of the Las Vegas World Invitational.

The class consisted of two identical courses side-by-side and featured a round robin knock-out style competition. Horses raced against each other instead of the clock with the fastest ride continuing to the next round.

Riding Nadia, the 22-year-old from New York City first beat fellow Americans Lauren Hough on Nagano and Schuyler Riley on Punker. She went on to best reigning Brazilian gold medalist Rodrigo Pessoa with Queen Z before finally winning the competition over Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker and Iqbal des Hayettes.

Nadia, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood, made brilliant efforts for Bloomberg, galloping down to the fences with glee and leaping from some improbable spots to get ahead of the competition on the other side of the ring.

The big money winner of the night was Pessoa with the charismatic Baloubet du Rouet. The pair took home $25,000 for their win in the $75,000 Casino Classic, a more traditional style grand prix.

Course designer Olaf Petersen of Germany might have been surprised to see 15 of 25 pairs ride a clean round over his imposing course, but the good distances and superb footing created in England and flown here by sponsor Martin Collins may have had something to do with it.

But the jump-off proved a better test for the riders. McClain Ward, of Brewster, N.Y., rode first because he’d drawn number 1 in the order, and he put in a clean round with a time of 28.98 aboard Oasis. Despite going first, his time held through eight riders until Anne Kursinski stepped into the ring with Roxanna 112.

A flying leap over the last fence moved Kursinski into the top spot, just a tenth of a point ahead of Ward. But American victory wasn’t to be, as Pessoa came next with three-time FEI World Cup winner Baloubet and proved that the inside turn from the double to the dice oxer could be made.

His time of 27.06 left the crowd cheering wildly, and every rider following him also rode the tighter turn. Jessica Kurten of Ireland slipped into second on the Dutch Warmblood mare Quibell. It was a welcome victory for Kurten, since she fell off Castleforbes Libertina in the knockout class.

Germany’s Marcus Ehning rode a textbook round aboard Gitania 8 to take third place in the Casino Classic, and Canada’s Ian Millar grabbed fourth on In Style. Kursinski’s gritty ride was still good enough for fifth place and Ward dropped to sixth.

Other U.S. residents competing include Laura Kraut and Richard Spooner.

Belgium’s Ludo Philippaerts won the first class of the day, the $25,000 Las Vegas Stakes. He rode Tauber v/h Kapelhof in the speed round, finishing in 45.77 seconds and winning over Ehning on Gelha’s Junior. Bloomberg placed third with Nadia.

In true Las Vegas style the riders were rushed off to the casino after the competition to partake in a gambling-themed draw for tomorrow’s grand prix.