THERMAL, Calif. – The first grand prix win of the 2025-2026 Desert International Horse Park season went to Savannah Jenkins and Hector du Ter on Saturday, November 1—but the duo did not get that win without first fighting hard for it right down to the finish.
Savannah Jenkins and Hector du Ter. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
At the end of the $100,000 FarmVet Grand Prix, just tenths of a second separated all four of the top finishers, with Jenkins and Hector du Ter ultimately clinching the victory in 41.122 seconds. Second place – on an incredibly close time of 41.137 seconds – went to Matt Williams and NKH Vittorio S, owned by NKH LLC. Rounding out the top three with a time of 41.219 seconds was Mark Kinsella and Katherine Huffstutler’s Olympic Quality, and fourth place went to Chelsea Brittner and Kalia D.
The win in the $5,000 IDA Development U25 Classic, held concurrently with the grand prix, went to Zazou Hoffman, who finished in seventh overall aboard Bloom du Plessis.
Zazou Hoffman and Bloom du Plessis topped the $5,000 IDA Development U25 Classic. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
For Jenkins, she could not ask for a better way to kick off her time back in Thermal, Calif.
“It feels amazing; to start the season like this is huge confidence boost,” said Jenkins, who hails from Woodland Hills, Calif. “That horse is amazing. My team is amazing. We’ve worked really hard this year. We’ve gone to some really cool places, and it’s good to be home and show kind of what we’ve done over the last few months to prepare for stuff like this.”
On their way to Saturday night’s win, Jenkins and Hector du Ter were one of 43 entries to take on the Guilherme Jorge-designed track in the Grand Prix Stadium. From there, they were one of 10 to advance to the jump-off, where, one by one, riders cranked up the speed.
Matt Williams and NKH Vittorio S. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Fortunately for Jenkins, she had Hector du Ter’s “massive stride” on her side—along with some extra coaching from the East Coast.
“I made a plan with Ilan on the phone,” said Jenkins, referencing Hector du Ter’s owner, Ilan Ferder. “Tatum, my manager, she FaceTimes [Ilan] the last three jumps in the warmup. He tells her what to tell me. He gets on the phone with me, and we make a plan. Then I come out; we talk, and then before the jump off, he’ll tell me, ‘Okay, I think X, Y and Z.’ And then again, he’ll be on the phone. He’ll watch the jump off and then when I’m walking up, he’ll be like, ‘Okay, we’ll change X, Y and Z from what we talked about—and he’s always says, ‘Have fun!’”
Jenkins continued, “I watched one [jump-off] just for a little bit of reference, but [Hector du Ter] is not normal. It’s otherworldly. He’s amazing, and he’s super brave. He covers a lot of ground. I was able to leave out a few strides everywhere, and I got a really good one to the last. It was enough for tonight!”
Savannah Jenkins and Hector du Ter. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Jenkins has only been partnered with the Hector du Ter for roughly three months, but she has already found that the 8-year-old Selle Français gelding continues to rise to the occasion. With the $100,000 FarmVet Grand Prix win now under their belts during National Sunshine Series 1, Jenkins will next set her sights on National Sunshine Series 2 and DIHP’s Desert Holiday shows in early December.
National Sunshine Series 1 concludes on Sunday, November 2, but competition at Desert International Horse Park resumes next week with National Sunshine Series 2, running November 5-9, 2025. To learn more, and for a full schedule of events, visit deserthorsepark.com.
For full results of the $100,000 FarmVet Grand Prix, click here.