Thermal, CA – December 7, 2024 – Ten years ago, Ashlee Bond topped a $1,000,000 grand prix at what is now the Desert International Horse Park. In the decade since then, the show venue has undergone extensive changes, and the caliber of showjumping sport available at the horse park has increased exponentially. However, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, one thing remained the same as it was back in 2014: Bond’s name atop the leaderboard. This time, Bond piloted her veteran Olympic mount, Donatello 141, to a thrilling victory in the $1,000,000 MLSJ CSI5* Coachella Cup Grand Prix, presented by Brown Advisory.
The winning pair was one of 40 entries to take on the class, held in conjunction with Major League Show Jumping. From within the starting field – which included many Olympians and top-ranked riders from around the world – 12 horses advanced to jump-off over the short course designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. Then, the large crowd at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, CA, was treated to a display of showjumping at its finest.
Ashlee Bond and Donatello 141. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
The very first rider to return, Lucy Davis Kennedy, set the clear time to beat at a quick 41.33 seconds aboard Ben 431, but the next several riders continued to crank things up a notch. When Bond and Donatello 141 returned to the Grand Prix Stadium as the eighth to jump-off, the time to beat had been set at 40.91 seconds by Colombia’s Mark Bluman and Ubiluc.
Bluman’s lead was short lived however, as somehow across the nine-fence jump-off, Bond and Donatello 141 found a way to shave more than a second off of his time, stopping the clock in a winning 39.33 seconds.
Ashlee Bond topped the podium in the $1,000,000 MLSJ CSI5* Coachella Cup Grand Prix, presented by Brown Advisory. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Ultimately finishing in second place with a time of 40.48 seconds were Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25, owned by The Carissimo Group, and Bluman and Ubiluc, owned by Over the Top Stables LLC, finished in third. Fourth place went to the USA’S Laura Kraut aboard her 2024 Paris Olympics mount Balouttinue, and Kennedy finished in fifth.
“It’s super surreal,” said Bond immediately following her win. “It hasn’t hit me yet. I feel like big moments like this in your career, it never really sets in. It’s almost too big to kind of feel it. It’s just such a nice end to our year and a reward for my team and my horse. My little Donnie, he’s just such a fighter. He gives me so much every time, and I’m just super grateful.”
Bond continued, “I think this has to be the biggest [win of my career] because I won the million here 10 years ago, but it wasn’t an FEI, and it didn’t have this caliber of riders. So, a five star million? I mean, that’s big! It’s very exciting.”
Ashlee Bond and Donatello 141. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Bond has been partnered with her winning mount, “Donnie,” for roughly seven years, having now piloted the 13-year-old Westphalian around two Olympic Games. Following this summer’s Paris Olympics, Bond thought perhaps it was time for the gelding to step down a level – that was until she decided to try having Donnie go barefoot.
“We ended up pulling the shoes right after the Games,” explained Bond, who rides for Israel. “This is his third show without shoes. It’s just made him so much happier, and he’s so fresh and sound. His strides gotten bigger and I just feel like he’s reinvigorated and has this newfound happiness to go around and do his job. He’s just always been super special. I’m just really grateful. You don’t get these horses much in your lifetime, so I’m very blessed to have him.”
Second-place finisher Vale was quick to echo similar sentiments of his horse, Carissimo 25, and he also spoke highly of his first time competing at the Desert International Horse Park.
Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“It’s a wonderful horse,” said Vale of the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “I’m so close to getting exactly where I want to be, but there’s still a little hunger left! I’ve had a lot of close ones with one down, second place, third place, but what a fun night of jumping. I’m thrilled to be in California. I’ve never shown here, so what an exciting night. Hats off to Ashlee.
“It’s just really impressive [here],” continued Vale. “You just get a feel that the management and upper staff, they want it to be good; they want you to be happy. The amenities are great. I got to say this is the best VIP I’ve seen. It’s just wonderful. You really feel welcomed. It makes you want to come back.”
In that same regard, Desert International Horse Park President and CEO Steve Hankin concluded, “When we started five years ago, if you had said this is where we would be right now, I think people would’ve said you were crazy. We built a nice horse park, and what Aaron said about the feeling here – that we want people here and we want to take care of them and have great time – it means the world to me, because that’s so, so important to us. The ultimate goal was to bring great sport to California. It’s desperately needed it. I think we took a pretty big step forward this year in bringing great sport here. It just doesn’t get any better than to have this group of riders here with this class and to have Ashlee win it.”
For full results of the $1,000,000 MLSJ CSI5* Coachella Cup Grand Prix, presented by Brown Advisory, click here. The class was held as part of the Desert International Horse Park’s Desert Holiday 1, and while that week of competition concludes on Sunday, December 8, the high-caliber show jumping continues with Desert Holiday 2, December 11-15. To view a full schedule of upcoming competitions, click here.