The Wins Continue! Kyle King & SIG Chiari on Top Again in $30,000 FarmVet Open Classic

By Jumper News on 10 10America/Sao_Paulo March 10America/Sao_Paulo 2023

Thermal, California, USA – March 09, 2023 – It was a busy day at the Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) on Thursday. Later in the day on the grass field, national show jumpers gave their best shot at the $30,000 FarmVet Open Classic 1.45m, adding more points to their names on the Open Jumper Rider Leaderboard.

With his sights set on multiple leaderboards, Kyle King (USA) 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 Oldenburg 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 (IRL) took an early lead with Ben Asselin’s Quality H and ultimately finished third.

Robert Blanchette (IRL) and the RTS Holdings LLC entry Carnlea Balou Premier jumped up the leaderboard to claim 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.

Show jumping continues Friday with the $10,000 1.40m NAYC Trial in the Grand Prix Arena and the $38,700 Speed CSI 3* 1.50m on the grass field.