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Mavis Spencer & Belladonna 42 Shine Under the Lights in the $25,000 FarmVet Grand Prix at Thermal

Thermal, California, USA – January 22, 2021 – Thirty-two pairings took the field Thursday evening under the lights at Desert International Horse Park’s Grand Prix Stadium, but it was Mavis Spencer (USA) and Belladonna 42 (Clearway x Vita 24) who shone the brightest. The pair crossed the jump-off timers at 37.003 seconds to take the top spot in the $25,000 FarmVet Grand Prix.

Kyle King (USA) and Christine Maclean’s Etalon (Otangelo x Concorde) completed the jump-off with a time of 37.396 seconds to earn second place.

King with his second mount Coffee To Go (Cinquecento 7 x De Coloday), owned by Spruce Meadows Ltd,  completed the top three with their efforts of 37.750 seconds.

Mavis Spencer (USA) & Belladona 42 during the awards ceremony

“I only started riding her just recently,” stated Spencer. “My first time showing her was yesterday in the 1.20m. She is a weapon, an absolute machine. She is a mare and she just wants it so badly. She goes in and gives you a hundred and ten percent. As a rider you dream of having a horse like her; one that goes in and bar you messing it up, they are going to go clear and do what she has done two nights in a row now. It is a very exciting new horse I get to ride.”

The twelve-year-old Holsteiner mare has been owned by Georgy Maskrey-Segesman for roughly two years now. Spencer has only ridden the mare a handful of times and this is their very first show together. 

“I think, for me, last year was a bit of an odd year. With the pandemic and everything and then I broke my leg back in October. So I am three months off of that. It is great to be back at a horse show” expressed Spencer. “I have to thank Georgy for the incredible group of horses that I have which makes life a lot easier. I think coming home with the win yesterday gave me a lot of confidence going into tonight. Even though it is a new horse for me, she has an incredible resume already and is just a weapon for these classes so I knew I could go in and have a shot at it.”

Final Results: $25,000 FarmVet Grand Prix

Place / Rider / Country / Horse / R1 & Time  | R2 & Time

1) Mavis Spencer (USA) & and 42 – 0 & 82.481 | 0 & 37.003

2) Kyle King (USA) & Etalon – 0 & 79.395 | 0 & 37.396

3) Kyle King (USA) & Coffee To Go – 0 & 82.912 | 0 & 37.750

4) Darrin Dlin (USA) & Buddy Bounce – 0 & 80.675 | 0 & 39.024

5) Emily Esau Williams (USA) & Dandy – 0 & 82.347 | 0 & 40.769

6) Jaclyn Duff (CAN) & Camilla M 4 – 0 & 83.810 | 0 & 41.492

7) Susan Artes (USA) & California Sunshine – 0 & 83.313 | 4 & 43.017

8) Mavis Spencer (USA) Con Calle – 0 & 80.550 | 10 & 58.464

9) Lisa Carlsen (CAN) & Livestream 2 – 1 & 85.686

10) Tali De Jong (USA) & Vaillant De Belle Vue – 3 & 87.442

11) William Simpson (USA) & Chacco P – 4 & 77.911

12) Kristin Hardin (USA) & Dexter R – 4 & 83.067

Source: Press release from the Desert International Horse Park

Photos: © ESI Photography