THERMAL, Calif. – Mariano Alario and Cassamoon kicked off National Sunshine Series 2 the same way they began National Sunshine Series 1: winning. On Wednesday, November 5, at Desert International Horse Park, they galloped to an impressive second consecutive victory in the $10,000 Spotlight 29 Casino 1.35m Welcome Speed.
Mariano Alario and Cassamoon. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Alario and Cassamoon were the 15th of 52 entries to take on the day’s Colm Quinn-designed speed track, and when they crossed the finish timers, they did so eight seconds faster than anyone who had come before them. Through the 37 remaining trips, only one horse and rider would come within even six seconds of Alario’s 55.916-second winning time – and in another bit of déjà vu, that horse and rider also mirrored last week’s second-place finishers.
This time, it was again Amanda Gomez aboard Charly-Ann who finished as the runner-up to Alario. Last week, Gomez was just one-tenth of a second off of Alario’s winning time, and this week, she further tightened that margin, finishing just hundredths of a second behind in 55.965 seconds. Rounding out the top three with a time of 62.262 seconds were Michelle Berry and Kaboem HH Z.
Amanda Gomez and Charly-Ann. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Of the secret to his back-to-back wins, Alario cited largely two things: Cassamoon’s abilities and the energy that he brought into the new 2025-2026 DIHP season.
“I came here very hungry to win these first two weeks!” said Alario. “[Cassamoon] loves this arena, and she’s very comfortable at this height – plus a little luck.”
Mariano Alario and Cassamoon. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Alario continued, “I walked everything in between jumps, every single foot, and I made a plan of how many strides I was going to do in between every single jump. In a speed like this, when it’s a nice course like this that is designed for a speed class, that is pretty much the key. You shave one stride, and that’s how you win the class.”
Alario has had Cassamoon, owned by Everhart LLC, in his barn for roughly seven years, and after the mare came back from injury roughly a year ago, the 15-year-old Holsteiner mare has proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
Mariano Alario and Cassamoon. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Now, Alario will next point Cassamoon at Sunday’s $30,000 Marshall+Sterling 1.40m Classic – just one of them many highlights of National Sunshine Series 2, running November 5-9. To view additional featured competitions and a complete schedule, visit deserthorsepark.com. For full results of the Spotlight 29 Casino 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.