Karl Cook won in Thermal while Richie Vogel and Daniel Bluman won at WEF

Details: January 22, 2026; By Staff Writers

THERMAL, Calif.--Karl Cook on Candy began his 2026 season with a win in the $32,000, CSI5* 1.45m Speed Stake held on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Desert Circuit 3.

Karl Cook on Candy High Desert Sport Photo Karl Cook on Candy (High Desert Sport Photo)Meanwhile, at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., Richie Vogel of Germany had two wins and a second whle Daniel B luman of israel won one.

Cook's win on Candy was the first FEI victory for the 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare that Cook has been riding for two yeas.

Cook finished clean in 61.66 seconds with Canada’s Tiffany Foster on Anton second in 63.05 and Mathijs van Asten of the Netherlands third in 70.30 seconds on Vedet DK Z.

“She felt great; it was a good course for her,” said Cook. “We left out a few strides, and we could go that speed without having to run too hard, just doing really good, quick work. It was nice and educational.”

“It took some time to get to know her, but she traveled with Caracole de la Roque all year throughout Europe and really kind of grew in that experience,” said Cook. “Last year, she came up leaps and bounds, and starting off this year like this is just a progression from last year. It’s great that we didn’t lose anything after last year.”

“IN THE PAST, the unpredictability made Candy challenging," he said. "It felt like one show was one way, the next show another. It was just trying to get her more predictable in whatever way, because then you can make incremental gains when you’re coming from something predictable.”

At WEF, Vogel on Michael Jackson W won the $6,150, 1.40m National Open, clean in 32.754 and also placed third on Cardentos in 34.390 while Mark Bluman of Columbia was second on S&L Eyes 4U.

Vogel on Gangster Montdesir also won the $1,000 FEI 1.40m Two Phase, clean in 34.17, with Simon Nizri on Balouton PS second in 36.22 and Shane Sweetnam of Ireland on Gilona AO third in 36.40.

Daniel Bluman on Rebelline De Kwakenbeek won the FEI1.45m Two Phase, clean in 34.35, with Vogel on Con Quality second in 34.42 and Ben Maher of Great Britain on Nighthawk third in 35.70.