Kaitlin Campbell and Sun Warrior shot to the top of the leaderboard and held that position for much of Sunday’s $10,000 Spotlight 29 Casino 1.35m Open Classic – at least until Ireland’s James Chawke and Cara Mia 155 entered the ring.
Chawke shaved 0.42 seconds off of Campbell’s previous lead to take over the top spot with a time of 28.00 seconds – and to further ignite the fire in Campbell.
George Nicolas, Tribal Chief Administrative Officer of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians presented Kaitlin Campbell as the winner of the $10,000 Spotlight 29 Casino 1.35m Open Classic. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I went first on Sun Warrior, and this was a bit of a lower class for him; I thought he had a nice round,” explained Campbell. “Then James Chawke went in and beat me, so I wanted to win. Luckily, I had a second chance!”
Campbell’s second chance came aboard Chanbette, owned by Barbara Phillips, and she made it worthwhile, stopping the clock in 27.658 seconds to ultimately take home the win. Chawke and Cara Mia 155, owned by Risen Eq Holdings LLC, finished in second, while Campbell and Sun Warrior held on to third.
Kaitlin Campbell and Chanbette. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“Chanbette is just super-fast across the jumps, so you can do the same strides as any other horse, but she spends very little time in the air,” said Campbell of the 12-year-old Oldenburg mare that she has only been partnered with for the past few months. “She wants to be careful, so, in the jump-off, I just pushed her as fast as possible, and I knew she’d stay off the jumps.”
Campbell continued, “She’s jumped the 1.40m, 1.45m level. This was kind of the last class we did before the Christmas holiday, so I wanted to make sure she finished the year on a good note.”
Kaitlin Campbell and Chanbette with George Nicolas and Bradley Bowns. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Following a break for the holidays, Campbell will return to the Desert International Horse Park beginning with Desert Circuit 3, and she will be a top contender to watch throughout the 2025 Desert International Horse Park season.
To view full results of Sunday’s $10,000 Spotlight 29 Casino 1.35m Open Classic, click here.