Kaitlin Campbell & Palina de L’escaut Zoom Into 1st Place in $200K Grand Prix at Desert International Horse Park

Kaitlin Campbell (San Marcos, CA) aboard Palina de L’escaut (Perigueux x Gardeulan) zoomed into first place in the $200,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix at the Desert International Horse Park, stopping the jump-off timers at 39.426 seconds. Lisa Carlsen (Okotoks, AB) rode Livestream 2 (Lordanos x Landadel), owned by Attache Stables, to a second place finish with a short-course time of 41.22 seconds while Nicole Haunert (Encintas, CA) and Cherokee Show Horses Inc’s Calgary IV (Casall x Calato) finished third, with a jump-off time of 44.366 seconds and an unfortunate rail.

Photo courtesy of Desert International Horse Park, taken by ESI

Course Designer Alan Wade had 26 pairs challenge the Grand Prix course. Carlsen had the early lead in the jump-off and was the only rider to finish clear until Campbell, who was the final rider to contest the course. “Usually, I just like to try and run as fast as possible but today I knew I had to ride a little smarter because this mare is so fast on her own,” Campbell shared of her strategy entering the jump-off. “I knew Palina de L’Escaut was naturally faster, so I just had to make sure when I went in that I didn’t do anything to risk having a rail down.”

“Alan Wade is my favorite course designer, he has designed about 90 percent of the Grand Prixs I have won, so every time he is building I go out there and try to win,” Campbell shared. “He always builds amazing courses with rails always falling in different places and the horses don’t jump scared, he just makes them jump better and better.”

The rider who works for SWS Training and Sales in Temecula, California, is planning to remain at the Desert International Horse Park for the remainder of the Desert Circuit. “We will alternate horses back and forth between here and Temecula but we will definitely be here for Week VIII for the Invitational.” Campbell also shared that she hopes Hanoverian mare, who is for sale, is still a part of her string come Week VIII: “I would love to keep her until then but she has been getting some great results so she could have some interest now.”