Thermal, California, USA – November 04, 2023 – Kyle King (USA) wasn’t sure his strategy of four rides in the $100,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix was going to pay off, but he proved himself wrong as he took the victory in the first Grand Prix of the season aboard SIG Chiari, owned by the Chi Group.

King and SIG Chiari were the seventh and final pair to jump clear over Anderson Lima’s (BRA) first-round course, meaning they had the last word. Having withdrawn his first clear mount Cerolino, King only had one shot, and he made it count.

“I was lucky [to go last] because it wasn’t in my plan to get eight [strides] from [fences] two to three, but then I saw Charlie gallop right down and I thought I’d better try,” King said of what he learned having watched Charlie Jones (GBR) and Capitale 6, owned by Morning Star Sporthorses, jump off before him.

“I was halfway down and I wasn’t sure I was going to get there but Chi just picked up wings and flew, and it actually helped me being long there because I got a really good rollback. The rest of it I think we were just even.”

King’s time of 39.072 seconds edged Jones into second place, also with a win in the $1,000 U25 Bonus, sponsored by The Surrey.

Simon Schroeder (USA) and Charlie Red Wine CS, owned by Morris Simchowitz, claimed third in the season’s opening Grand Prix.

“Chi is a special horse,” King said of his winning 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding. “He’s just so much heart. I got him last season and stepped him up. He won a $100,000 class out of the blue. He’s stepped up into a lot of five-star ranking classes. He’s just super competitive. He has so much try and heart, and I just love the horse. He’s exactly the ride you want in a jump-off. You can just push and he tries so hard.”

The first round was challenging, with only seven out of 43 pairs jumping clear. The time allowed was tight, and various elements proved difficult in the atmosphere of the Grand Prix Arena under the lights.

“I thought under the lights it rode pretty big,” King reflected. “I haven’t shown in a month but I thought it was big. The first round he actually did not jump that great. He was not quite getting across the oxers and liverpools being under the lights. He came out in the jump-off and did what he does. I was very proud of him.”

King has been building a premier string of grand prix horses and feels confident about his group after winning the Grand Prix Rider Bonus at the close of Desert Circuit 2023. Strategically placing each of his horses, they’ll continue to show during the National Sunshine Series and gear up for an exciting season ahead.

“All the horses you saw tonight are my main group,” he said of the four horses he entered in the class, two of which finished in the top six. “I wouldn’t normally do four in a class; the odds aren’t usually that great, but we’ve had a month off so it sort of made sense. They’re going to jump next week and then they get a couple weeks off. Then we have the two weeks of Major League. We’re going to get in there and do as much damage as possible.”

Jumping continues Sunday with the $30,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.40m Open Classic and the $10,000 Tack Box 1.35m Open Classic.

Final Results – $100,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix

1) Kyle King (USA) & SIG Chiari – 0 / 0 – 39.072

2) Charlie Jones (GBR) & Capitale 6 – 0 / 0 – 40.010

3) Simon Schroeder (USA) & Charlie Red Wine CS – 0 / 0 – 42.364

Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park

Photos: © High Desert Photo

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