Thermal, California, USA – January 24, 2025 – Fairson TS is a recent addition to David O’Brien’s (IRL) string, but that certainly didn’t hold back this new pair from winning the $20,000 YETI Speed Challenge CSI 4* – 1.45m on Friday morning.
O’Brien had to pull off a foot-perfect round in order to win, as it was a highly competitive field of 15 riders, with not a single fault among the top nine scores. However win he did, with Fairson TS pulling out all the stops to gallop through the timers with 64.36 seconds on the clock.
Ali Ramsay (CAN) and Koblenz were hot on O’Brien’s heels with a time of 64.75 seconds, and they were closely followed by Mathijs Van Asten (NED) and Norberlina VD Laarseheide Z, who finished in third place with a score of 64.86 seconds.
“He’s very straightforward. With every jump, he grows. He seems to just get better all the time,” O’Brien said of the 8-year-old Warmblood gelding. “We have a group together, myself and Postage Stamp Farm. We opened Keepin’ It Simple, and we have some investment horses. Annabelle Garrett sourced this horse and picked him out. He started doing a few FEI classes in August. When we first got him, he was doing the 1.35s, and then we brought him to the Masters.”
O’Brien reported that he felt the course was fair to the horses, allowing him to step on the gas pedal a little bit and teach his new partner about how to be careful and fast.
“I liked the inside turns because that’s what I wanted to do with my horses,” O’Brien said. “We’ve jumped a good few classes where we just go clear, so I wanted to go faster and teach him about speed. Even my inside turn to five– I kind of hit that a little bit forward and then he stayed steady. From there around the course, he was really straightforward. He was probably a little quick into that last double, but he’s careful so I don’t have to worry.”
While Fairson TS is a sales horse, O’Brien is hoping he sticks around for a little while, so he can enjoy the gelding’s straightforward and easy-going personality.
“He’s the one I’m hoping that we can hold on to for a while because with every step he takes he seems to grow into himself all the time, and he loves us, so I would like that,” O’Brien said. “He has Sunday to compete again, and then he goes next week in the five star.”
O’Brien had some special guests in the crowd this morning. His parents flew all the way out to California from Ireland to cheer him on.
“I came during the Major League, and I stayed over Christmas. I’m going to stay to the end [of the circuit]. My parents came in last night. Since I was somewhere new – I had never been to California before – they were like, ‘Oh, we’ll come and see,’” explained the Irish rider.
Final Results – $20,000 YETI Speed Challenge CSI 4* – 1.45m
1) David O’Brien’s (IRL) & Fairson TS – 0 – 64.36
2) Ali Ramsay (CAN) & Koblenz – 0 – 64.75
3) Mathijs van Asten (NED) & Norbelina vd Laarseheide Z – 0 – 64.86
Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © DIHP / High Desert Photo / TR Photography
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Categories: CSI 4*, English, Jumper News Ireland
