Thermal, Calif. – Karrie Rufer concluded Desert Circuit 3 with a win, and on Wednesday, January 28, she kicked off Desert Circuit 4 the same way, this time topping the $10,000 IDA Development 1.35m Welcome Speed aboard Mr. Europe.
Just hours prior to her victory, Rufer woke up feeling under the weather – but she knew she could still count on Mr. Europe.
“I was supposed to have three in the class, but I chose to just do my steady ‘Eddie,’” said Rufer who has been partnered with the 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by Morning Star Sporthorses, for roughly eight years. “In the barn I said, ‘Okay, I can do this one, but I’m not doing the others.’ So, at least we made the one round count!”
From a field of 53 entries, Rufer and Eddie blazed to the win with a time of 56.216 seconds over the course designed by Alan Wade and Colm Quinn. Finishing in a close second place on 56.675 seconds were Mariano Maggi and his own Londenta’s Adel PS, and frequent winners Mariano Alario and Cassamoon rounded out the top three with a time of 57.188 seconds.
“[Mr. Europe] is really fast – like psycho fast,” concluded Rufer. “He doesn’t spend much time in the air. He doesn’t jump very far over the jumps. Sometimes he has one down. He’s not the most careful, but when he’s clear, he’s usually up there as fast if not faster than everybody else…He was helping his mom out today, so I appreciate him a lot.”
During Desert Circuit 10, the top 25 prize money-earning horses from the weekly $10,000 1.35m Welcome Speed classes will be eligible to contest the $20,000 Speed League Final. The Desert Circuit 4 win now puts Rufer and Mr. Europe in third in the Speed League standings. To view the full standings – currently topped by Alario and Cassamoon – click here, and to view complete results from Wednesday’s $10,000 IDA Development 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.
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.