Thermal, Calif. – CSI3* competition at Desert Circuit 6, presented by Premier Equestrian, opened with a win for Mathijs van Asten on Wednesday, February 11. Van Asten piloted Orlando van de Afspanning to the top spot in the $32,000 Sandhaven Farm CSI3* 1.45m Welcome Speed to kick off the week at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif.
The pair had the advantage of being the penultimate entry to jump Wednesday’s course – set in the Grand Prix Stadium by course designer Colm Quinn – and van Asten had a good sense of what it would take to win based on his round aboard his first entry earlier in the class.
Mathijs van Asten and Orlando van de Afspanning. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
For much of the class, Karl Cook and Home-Run, owned by Signe Ostby, held the lead on 62.25 seconds, but when van Asten and Orlando van de Afspanning entered the ring, the leading time had just been overtaken by Kaitlin Campbell. She and Cosm Hesed, owned by Mirasol Equestrian, stopped the clock in 61.72 seconds to give van Asten a new target.
“I was warming up, and [Orlando van de Afspanning] jumped great,” said van Asten. “I know actually by nature that he’s very fast. I can leave some strides out. I thought, ‘Let’s see how the first half of the course goes.’ Then, when everything was on schedule, I tried to finish it! Directly from the first line, he actually gave me a good feeling, and then I could take advantage of his big canter. I think that that made the difference today: that I could leave [strides out]. I’m very pleased with him today.”’
Mathijs van Asten and Orlando van de Afspanning. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
With those strides left out at multiple spots on the course, van Asten crossed the timers in 60.14 seconds for the win. Campbell and Cosm Hesed held on to second place, and Cook and Home-Run rounded out the top three.
Orlando van de Afspanning, owned by Vani Khosla’s Van Shadow Stables LLC, is ridden by both van Asten and Khosla and will next jump Thursday’s $32,000 BRAINJUICE Active CSI3* 1.45m Classic before enjoying two weeks off at home in San Francisco.
Second place went to Kaitlin Campbell and Cosm Hesed. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“It’s a super nice horse,” said van Asten of the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding. “He really likes to do classes like this. He can jump the grand prix, but he also likes to be competitive in a good ranking class. It makes him very eager. He’s a very eager horse to do good.”
For full results of the $32,000 Sandhaven Farm CSI3* 1.45m 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 and to view a complete schedule of events, visit deserthorsepark.com.