Eight combinations managed to qualify for the jump-off of the 1.60m CSI5 Grand Prix* in Thermal on Saturday night! At the Desert International Horse Park, the Dutch national anthem, "Het Wilhelmus," rang out thanks to Mathijs van Asten. The Dutchman kept Callie Schott and Uricas vd Kattevennen at bay to secure the win!
Dutch show jumper Mathijs Van Asten took a commanding lead over the competition in this CSI5* Grand Prix. Partnered with the Fam. Dingen-bred KWPN, Hotspot (Hors La Loi x Nabab de Rêve), Van Asten cleared the course in 36.64 seconds to take the victory.
“I know my horse’s nature is very fast, but I have to keep it smooth,” said Van Asten, who rides for the Netherlands. “I know I have to take some risks because when Kent Farrington is behind you, then you know that it's very hard because he’s very hard to beat. So, I tried to ride my own route and took some risks from the double to the vertical in the corner. I did one stride less than the rest, and I got a really forward distance to the last one. I think there I made my time.”
The pair relegated Callie Schott and Harrie Smolders' former ace, Uricas vd Kattevennen (Uriko x Cassini I), to second place.
Schott and the 14-year-old stallion finished in 38.71 seconds, staying ahead of Conor Swail with Casturano (Castelan 3 x Canturo). Just outside the top three was Savannah Jenkins, who proved to be the slowest clear round in the jump-off riding Hector du Ter (Comme Il Faut). The top five was rounded out by Kent Farrington and the Jasper Doucé-bred Toulayna (Toulon x Parco).
