Thermal, California, USA – March 01, 2025 – There was no catching Sameh El Dahan (GBR) on Saturday night, March 1, at the Desert International Horse Park. Aboard WKD Toronto, the British rider took the win in the $75,000 Adequan Grand Prix by a margin of more than eight seconds.
On the way to his lightning-fast jump-off round, El Dahan was one of 41 entries to contest the Marina Azevedo-designed course and one of seven to navigate it without fault. From there, the race was on in front of the crowd at Desert Circuit 8.
El Dahan and WKD Toronto were the second pair to return for the short course, and knowing he had five fast combinations to follow him, El Dahan left it all on the table. The pair flew over the final vertical in what would prove to be an uncatchable 46.881 seconds.
“I thought I’d have to give it my best and do whatever I can do with my horse,” said El Dahan. “[WKD Toronto] is pretty fast, so it worked out pretty well for us today.”
With one rail apiece falling for fourth and fifth place finishers Jos Verlooy (BEL) on Omaro van de Meerse and Kyle King (USA) on Kayenne Z, respectively, third place with a double clear round in 55.955 seconds went to Natalie Banis (USA) and VDL E-Cecilia, owned by K & L Phillips.
Coming the closest to catching El Dahan was second-place finisher Zoe Brown (AUS) who cleared the finish in 55.561 seconds aboard Unchained 2, owned by Sophia Siegel. Brown also claimed the win in the $5,000 YETI U25 held concurrently with the Adequan Grand Prix.
For El Dahan, one of the key components of his success on Saturday night is the longevity of his partnership with WKD Toronto, better known as “Zak” in the barn.
“We bred him also, so I’ve ridden him since a young age,” said El Dahan of the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. “We know him really well. He’s a feisty horse. He’s little but mighty. I think if we tried hard enough, we could have put him in as a pony! He has such a great heart and a big stride, and he’s very scopey for a small animal. So, I’m very pleased to have a horse like him in my string.”
El Dahan continued, “With him, because he’s such a fiery ball, I always say less is more. So, we don’t jump him a lot…I sit on him almost every day, but it’s always light work. I don’t get into too much discussion with him because he’s very opinionated anyway, so he wouldn’t let me. That is my system; I try to just listen to the horses more than try to dominate them. I believe at some stage it always pays off. Today was the day for it, and I’m hoping for more consistent results with him.”
The 2025 Desert Circuit at the Desert International Horse Park continues through Sunday, March 16. To learn more, visit www.DesertHorsePark.com.
Final Results – $75,000 Adequan Grand Prix
1) Sameh El Dahan (GBR) & WKD Toronto – 0 / 0 – 46.881
2) Zoe Brown (AUS) & Unchained 2 – 0 / 0 – 55.561
3) Natalie Banis (USA) & VDL E-Cecilia – 0 / 0 – 55.955
Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © DIHP / High Desert Photo / MG Photography
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Categories: CSN, English, Jumper News Great Britain
