Thermal, Calif. – Camilo Rueda and Indus van het Keysereyck have been partnered for roughly six years, and the strength of their longtime partnership was apparent on Thursday, January 22, as they jumped to the win in the $32,000 Round Meadow Farm CSI2* 1.45m Speed Stake.
A field of 36 horses took on the class held during Desert Circuit 3 at Desert International Horse Park, and Rueda and Indus van het Keysereyck outpaced them all to finish atop the leaderboard with a time of 58.81 seconds. Second place went to the USA’s Karl Cook and Kalinka van’t Zorgvliet with a time of 59.30 seconds, and Mathijs van Asten of the Netherlands took home third on 59.64 seconds with Noberlina VD Laarseheide Z.
Camilo Rueda and Indus van het Keysereyck. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I know him pretty well, and I know when he can be really fast,” said Rueda of the Belgian Warmblood gelding that he owns alongside Santiago Rueda Ucros. “I think the horse was ready for this competition. I kind of took a break after the November shows, and I was preparing for this class specifically. I know that he can be quick in the turns and leave strides out, so I think that was the key for him today.”
With Indus van het Keysereyck now being 18 years old, Rueda likes to pick and choose his competitions carefully – including choosing to jump him in the CSI2* this week rather than the CSI5*, before ramping up to the CSI5* next week during Desert Circuit 4.
“Definitely he seems in good shape; so, we’ll do the CSI5* next week and then we will build depending on the results next week,” said Rueda.
For complete results from the $32,000 Round Meadow Farm CSI2* 1.45m Speed Stake, click here.
Camilo Rueda and Indus van het Keysereyck topped the $32,000 Round Meadow Farm CSI2* 1.45m Speed Stake. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
With 10 weeks of top-caliber competition, Desert Circuit at Desert International Horse Park continues through March 15, 2026. To learn more, visit deserthorsepark.com.