Thermal, California, USA – January 23, 2025 – Gregory Wathelet (BEL) is on a Desert Circuit winning streak, and on Thursday, January 23, he amassed his third win of the past six days. This time, Wathelet rode Argentina de la Marchette to victory in the $63,000 Pomponio Ranch Welcome Speed CSI 4*, and the Belgian rider also took home second place aboard Ace of Hearts.
When Wathelet entered the Grand Prix Arena at the Desert International Horse Park on his first mount, Ace of Hearts, the time to beat had been set at 63.85 seconds by the very first pair in the ring, Ireland’s Conor Swail (IRL) and Theo 160.
“I saw Conor; he was quite fast!” said Wathelet, who was the sixth of 36 entries with “Ace,” the horse that he rode to a top 10 finish at the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ – Final. “I know that Ace isn’t the fastest horse, but I can move on and ask him to go a bit.”
That’s just what Wathelet did, stopping the clock in 62.64 seconds to take over the top of the leaderboard. That time would ultimately prove uncatchable by anyone but Wathelet himself.
With Argentina de la Marchette, he blazed through the timers in 62.34 seconds to relegate his own Ace of Hearts to second place. Swail and Theo 160’s time would hold up for third place, while the USA’s Kaitlin Campbell and Sun Warrior finished in fourth.
“I knew I had a second chance with Argentina coming behind, and she’s very quick,” said Wathelet of his 13-year-old grey mare. “I was for sure already very happy with my round with Ace. Coming by the end with Argentina, I just thought, ‘I’m going to go for sure fast.’ I know that she can do that. She’s very quick…I was a bit worried because she was a bit scared in the warm-up, but she came in the ring and was completely fine. I had a plan, and the plan went like I thought. She jumped super, really good, and at the end I was just a bit faster!”
“I knew I had a second chance with Argentina coming behind, and she’s very quick,” said Wathelet of his 13-year-old grey mare. “I was for sure already very happy with my round with Ace. Coming by the end with Argentina, I just thought, ‘I’m going to go for sure fast.’ I know that she can do that. She’s very quick…I was a bit worried because she was a bit scared in the warm-up, but she came in the ring and was completely fine. I had a plan, and the plan went like I thought. She jumped super, really good, and at the end I was just a bit faster!”
Wathelet continued, “[Argentina]’s a really competitive horse. She’s a little bit funny how she is sometimes. Like yesterday, I did a training round, and she was not so good. Today, she came in, and I know her perfectly. I know what she can do, how she can turn, where she has to be quick, where I have to be a bit more careful. There’s not much to think about just to hold the reins and to know how to make the turns because sometimes she goes too quick inside, but for the rest, she just does it. At this level, it’s perfect for her.”
With Argentina now having already earned two major victories at Desert Circuit, she’ll enjoy the remainder of the week at Desert Circuit 3 off, while Wathelet points Ace of Hearts at Saturday night’s $200,000 American Wild Horse Conservation Grand Prix. For a full schedule of all upcoming classes, click here, and for complete results from visit dihp.showgroundslive.com.
Final Results – $63,000 Pomponio Ranch Welcome Speed CSI 4*
1) Gregory Wathelet (BEL) & Argentina de La Marchette – 0 – 62.34
2) Gregory Wathelet (BEL) & Ace of Hearts – 0 / 0 – 62.64
3) Conor Swail (IRL) & Theo 160 – 0 / 0 – 63.85
Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © DIHP / High Desert Photo / MG Photography
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Categories: CSI 3*, English, Jumper News Belgie
