Later in the day on the grass field, national show jumpers gave their best shot at the $30,000 1.45m Open Classic, adding more points to their names on the Open Jumper Rider Leaderboard. With his sights set on multiple leaderboards, Kyle King clocked in with a very quick time aboard SIG Chiari, owned by SIG International Inc., to ultimately take the win.
“Shota Ogomori from SIG thought I’d like the horse a lot and he was right,” King said of the 11-year-old Oldenberg gelding (Cristallo II x Landadel). “It took me a minute to get him going; I didn’t know what he really had in there. He’s proven to be so consistent and a really cool horse. He’s so fast; I’ve done him in a couple three-stars now and he’s proven he can jump that level. He’s a lovely modern horse.”
The grass is a change of pace for all the jumpers for Desert Circuit VIII and IX, but it’s a welcome change for many, including King and his mounts. “He’s even better on the grass honestly,” King continued. “He’s good everywhere, but I particularly like him out here because it fits his stride. I was able to drop a stride early in the course today and just follow the rhythm around the course.”
Mark Kinsella took an early lead with Ben Asselin’s Quality H and ultimately finished third, with Robert Blanchette and the RTS Holdings LLC entry Carnlea Balou Premier jumping up the leaderboard and claiming second place.
King has big goals to finish out Desert Circuit, keeping his eye on the bigger prize, but also aware he has the horsepower to claim quite a few of the final big classes. “I’m in the lead right now for the $100,000 [National Grand Prix Rider] Bonus. Cerolino jumped really well today so I think I might do Cerolino this Saturday and save [SIG Chiari] for the final one next Saturday. That’s my goal with those two. That’s a big rider bonus; I want to stay on it,” he shared.
Source: Press Release
Photo: High Desert Sport Photo