Thermal, Calif. – Lane Clarke was riding for more than a blue ribbon in Sunday’s $40,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic at Desert International Horse Park. Just two months after the passing of his father – the man who shaped Clarke’s riding career and trained his winning mount, Venom – Clarke galloped away with the win in the Desert Circuit 7 class, held on February 22.
Lane Clarke and Venom. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I’m just really happy,” said an emotional Clarke following his victory. “My dad died on Christmas, and it’s my first big class without him. It’s his horse. He trained it, and I’m just thankful to have everyone here to support me…[My dad and I] always did this together, and I guess we’re still doing it together.”
In order to earn the win in honor of his dad, Clarke had to top a nine-horse jump-off in the Grand Prix Stadium. However, he and Venom made that look easy. Following a long gallop to the final oxer, the pair flew through the finish in 42.447 seconds to eventually take home the win by a nearly three-second margin. Second place with a time of 45.174 seconds went to Ian McFarlane and Kimberly HX, owned by Sahana Ganesan. Taking home third place on 45.206 seconds were James Chawke and Noah Nelson’s L.V. Charice.
Lane Clarke and Venom in their winning presentation. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I always love [Marina Azevedo]’s courses,” said Clarke of the course designer for Sunday’s class. “My dad and I always loved jumping her courses. Obviously, there are other course designers we really like, but we’ve always talked about how she gets rails everywhere – and we just really like her as a person.”
Clarke continued, “As far as the jump-off went, my dad always pushed me to take the risk and go win, or don’t worry about it. It’s not that he wasn’t happy if we didn’t win, but he never made it a problem if I went for the win and made a mistake. Today, I was feeling a little bit cautious. I wanted to be careful and I was like, ‘You know what? He would’ve wanted me to make the inside turn!’ Even though it was a bit risky, Venom’s such a spectacular horse. He’s just so fast, and we’ve won a bunch of classes leaving a bit of caution to the wind. I figured, ‘Why change it?’ I was really happy. Venom stepped up.”
Lane Clarke and Venom. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Venom, owned by Horsemanship Unlimited, first came to the Clarke family when the now 13-year-old Warmblood gelding was 4 or 5 years old. One of Clarke’s good friends, Courtney Hurley, was seeking help with the then difficult horse, and Clarke’s father, Allen Clarke, was the man for the job.
“My dad trained difficult horses for a living; that’s what he did,” said Lane Clarke. “[Venom] was so spooky, he couldn’t get him to go in the ring…We’d get him jumping big, and then he’d stop at a 1-foot jump that had a box in it. My dad just kept trying, kept trying, kept trying. Finally, he got him to where he had enough heart to go to his job.”
Second place went to Ian McFarlane and Kimberly HX. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
For complete results from the $40,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic, click here. While Sunday marked the conclusion of Desert Circuit 7, presented by Spotlight 29 Casino, competition at Desert International Horse Park continues through March 29, 2026, with three more weeks of Desert Circuit, followed by two weeks of the all-new Desert Spring Fling. To learn more about all events at DIHP, click here.