Mariano Maggi and Lightspot van het Maaskantje. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Mariano Maggi has proven that he is going to be a tough one to catch this season at the Desert International Horse Park. The Swedish rider kicked off the 2024-2025 DIHP show schedule with a one-two finish aboard Lightspot van het Maaskantje and Her Game Ball BG, respectively, in the $10,000 Core Specialty 1.35m Welcome Speed on Wednesday, October 30.
While it may have been only day one of the 2024 National Sunshine Series 1, the competition ramped up quickly – as did the speed in Wednesday’s featured evening class. With Lightspot van het Maaskantje, Maggi set the early time to beat over the Anderson Lima-designed course at 54.852 seconds. Throughout the remainder of the 42-horse class in the Grand Prix Stadium, no other combinations successfully broke the 56-second mark.
Coming the closest to doing so was Maggi and his final entry in the class, Her Game Ball BG. The 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, owned by Mary Frances Looke, breezed through the timers in 56.080 seconds to take home second place. Rounding out the top three on a time of 56.704 seconds were Ireland’s Mark Kinsella and Cameron Z, owned by Have High Hopes LLC.
“I’m very happy; It’s always nice when you win!” said Maggi. “It was actually a very fast track and nice to ride. [Anderson Lima] builds always really fluid courses where you can actually ride fast!”
Mariano Maggi and Lightspot van het Maaskantje. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Going fast seems to come naturally to “Lightspot,” an 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Looke.
“He’s very fast, very easy to ride,” said Maggi of the gelding that he is producing for Looke. “This was his first time under the lights. I want to finish this year with him doing well in the $30,000 1.40m on Sundays [at the DIHP] and start a little bit bigger as a 9-year-old in the beginning of the season.”
Maggi continued, “[Her Game Ball BG] is actually Francie’s normal ride. Every now and then I ride her. She’s super fun. She’s very fast and careful. The other one, [Lightspot], I ride all the time. I’m making the horse a little bit more experienced.”
For Maggi, the 14 weeks of hunter/jumper competition offered at DIHP provide the ideal setting to give Lightspot that experience.
“This is my favorite show. It’s actually a proper horse show,” concluded Maggi. “We have amazing arenas. I love the night classes where it’s a lot of people watching. I think they are doing big improvements. Always, you find new things when you come. That means what the people from the organization get, they give back to the clients, which is the most important.”
Mariano Maggi was joined in his winning presentation by Lightspot van het Maaskantje’s owner, Mary Frances Look (pictured second from left). Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
For full results of Wednesday’s $10,000 Core Specialty 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.
The class marked the first leg toward the 2025 $20,000 DIHP Speed League Final, to be held during Desert Circuit 10 in March. The top 25 total money earners from the 1.35m Speed classes, held at DIHP from the National Sunshine Series 1 through Desert Circuit 10 will earn a spot to compete in the $20,000 Speed League Final during the last week of Desert Circuit!
To learn more about all competition at the Desert International Horse Park and to view a schedule, click here.