Thermal, CA – February 5, 2016 – Desert Circuit III got underway with the $50,000 Brook Ledge Welcome Stakes in the Grand Prix Ring at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California. Course designer, Bernardo Cabral, of Carnaxide, Portugal, set a course of 15 jumping efforts, with seven riders in a field of thirty-two, advancing to the jump-off to compete for the blue.
Chris Pratt and Concorde winning the $50,000 Brook Ledge Welcome Stakes. Photo: ESI Photography
The course included several bending lines, rollback turns and three double combinations. Keeping the rails up proved to be the challenge for many exhibitors competing in Wednesday’s big money class.
Chris Pratt and Concorde, owned by The Epic Group, LLC, rose to victory in the race to beat the clock in the jump-off. The equestrian from Lake View Terrace, California, added another win under his belt after claiming first in the Desert Circuit II $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. Second-place went to Karl Cook of Woodside, California, riding Signe Ostby’s Basimodo and finishing third was Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, Ontario, and Quidam Blue, owned by Juniper Farms and Equitop Farms.
First to go in the jump-off was Susan Hutchison and Ziedento, owned by St. Bride’s Farm. They powered through the first few fences, and ultimately finished in 42.305 seconds with four faults, after an unfortunate rail at the skinny vertical mid-course, landing them in seventh-place.
Enrique Gonzalez, of San Diego, California, was next to test the shortened course on his first of two mounts in the jump-off, his own Feline VIII. Gonzalez claimed the first clear attempt of the second round, crossing the timers in 44.185 seconds.
Third in the order was Lisa Carlsen and World’s Judgement, owned by W.J. Partners. It looked as though they might steal the lead from Gonzalez, but a heartbreaking rail at the second-to-last fence landed them just out of the top five for sixth-place.
Gonzalez returned to contend for the win, this time with Chacna. They clocked in in a fault-free 42.054-second round, beating his prior round and now holding the first and second spots. The next three would be too fast though, ultimately putting Gonzalez in finishing fourth and fifth.
Henselwood and Quidam Blue followed Gonzalez with precision and speed, galloping through the course to finish clear in 41.734 seconds and move into the top spot.
Excitement in the stands began to rise as Pratt and Concorde entered to contend for the prize, with two speedy horses left in the order, it was still anyone’s game. They shaved time off the clock, taking an extremely tight turn after a vertical to the last bending line. The crowd awed as Pratt and the powerful bay thundered towards the finish. Concorde rubbed the rail at the second-to-last fence, but by fate’s design it did not fall—they clocked in at 40.104 seconds to take the lead.
Last in the order was Cook and Basimodo. They sped towards the finish, conquering fence by fence with the crowd on the edge of their seats to witness who would claim the title. They crossed the timers in a fault-free 40.643 seconds, just a fraction behind Pratt for second-place.
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize | R.1 Faults | JO Faults | JO Time |
| 1 | Concorde | The Epic Group, LLC | Chris Pratt | $15,000 | – | – | 40.104 |
| 2 | Basimodo | Signe Ostby | Karl Cook | $11,000 | – | – | 40.643 |
| 3 | Quidam Blue | Juniper / Equitop Farms | Jill Henselwood | $6,500 | – | – | 41.734 |
| 4 | Chacna | Enrique Gonzalez | Enrique Gonzalez | $4,000 | – | – | 42.054 |
| 5 | Feline VIII | Enrique Gonzalez | Enrique Gonzalez | $3,000 | – | – | 44.185 |
| 6 | World’s Judgment | W.J. Partners | Lisa Carlsen | $2,500 | – | 4 | 39.242 |
| 7 | Ziedento | St. Bride’s Farm | Susan Hutchison | $2,000 | – | 4 | 42.305 |
| 8 | Cornancer | Little Valley Farms | Ashlee Bond | $1,500 | 4 | – | – |
| 9 | Flexible | Harry & Molly Chapman | Rich Fellers | $1,500 | 4 | – | – |
| 10 | Firestone | Nicole Teague | Kristin Hardin | $1,000 | 4 | – | – |
| 11 | Granit S | John Anderson | John Anderson | $1,000 | 4 | – | – |
| 12 | Christian Grey | Haley Farms, LLC | Tiffany Sullivan | $1,000 | 4 | – | – |