THERMAL, Calif.--Mathijs Van Asten of Netherlands on Hotspot won the $340,000, CSI5* Grand Prix on Saturday evening, Jan. 24 at Desert International Horse Park.

Mathijs Van Asten on Hotspot (Photo by High Desert Sport Photo)Van Asten was one of eight to qualify for the jump off over the course  designed by Colm Quinn and Alan Wade.

When Van Asten returned as the penultimate rider to jump, the time to beat had been set at 38.71 seconds by Callie Schott on Uricas v/d Kattenvennen.

“I know my horse’s nature is very fast, but I have to keep it smooth,” said Van Asten. “I know I have to take some risks because when Kent Farrington is behind you, then you know that it’s very hard because he’s very hard to beat. So, I tried to ride my own route and took some risks from the double to the vertical in the corner. I did one stride less than the rest, and I got a really forward distance to the last one. I think there I made my time.”

Van Asten was clean in 36.64 seconds, two seconds faster than Schott and enough to really put the pressure on Farrington riding Toulayna.

 

FARRINGTON had a rail down and Van Asten had the win, with Schott second and Ireland’s Conor Swail on Casturano third in 39.04 seconds.

Van Asten has had Hotspot in his stable for much of the stallion’s life.

“He’s a very special horse. It’s a horse, which actually I broke in myself,” said Van Asten. “We did the first shows with it as a 4-year-old, so that’s quite special. He’s really a family friend, and I’m very happy to have him. He’s really an athlete, and we’re very happy to work with him. Every round he gives a lot.”

Van Asten made the decision to start competing at Desert International Horse Park three years ago.

“I train Vani Khosla. She’s from San Francisco, California. So, we decided three years ago to spend the winter here,” said Van Asten. “We enjoy it. It’s good for the horses. We have a good string of horses that we can build up a nice season, so we’re happy to be here!”