Thermal, Calif. – Braden James thinks the future looks quite bright for 9-year-old Hermes des Carmilles, and the gelding’s performance in the $24,999 Marshall+Sterling 1.40m Open Classic held on February 20 certainly indicated the same. James and Hermes des Carmilles topped a 53-horse field to take home the win in the class, held as part of Desert Circuit 7 at Desert International Horse Park.
James was the 35th rider to jump the course designed by Marina Azevedo, and he used the class’s immediate-jump-off format to his advantage.
“I thought it was a great course,” said James. “For some reason for me, in the first round, everything kind of got stuffed in my face a little bit. With [Hermes des Carmilles] especially, he’s always backing off the fences, and now he’s starting to take me up to them. So, I felt like I was waiting everywhere.”
James continued, “Then, with the jump-off, I was able to just flow. He really showed his talent in the jump-off. It was perfect that it was immediate so that we could redo a few things!”
With their further improved performance in the jump-off, James and Hermes des Carmilles set the time to beat at 40.926 seconds. Coming the closest to catching the Canadian rider was Allison Kroff. She rode T-Quick Hurricane Z, owned by TC Sport Horses LLC, to second place with a time of 41.169 seconds. Third place on 42.545 seconds went to Mariano Maggi and his own Quantico 23.
“He’s a special horse,” said James of Hermes des Carmilles, owned by Stump Lake Ranch & Cattle Limited. “I’m just really lucky to have him, and I have awesome owners.”
James began riding Hermes des Carmilles last year, and he has spent the last eight or nine months carefully producing the young gelding, largely competing him at the 1.30-1.35m height.
“We took our time…He’s just starting to step up now,” explained James. “It’s really a special horse to have in the string. I think he’s going to go all the way; I think he’s one for the future. He’s one of those horses that has all the quality and all the talent, so you want to take your time. We’ve really done our homework and built a good foundation. So, I think now you’ll be seeing him in a lot of winner’s circles over the next few months.”
For complete results from the $24,999 Marshall+Sterling 1.40m Open Classic click here, and for more information on all competition at Desert International Horse Park, visit deserthorsepark.com.