Thermal, Calif. – A field of 75 entries took on Wednesday’s $10,000 Barnwalkers 1.35m Welcome Speed, but not one of them could catch Simon Schröeder. He kicked off Desert Holiday 2 at Desert International Horse Park with a one-two finish in the December 10 opening class.
Schröeder’s top finish came aboard his veteran partner Charlie Red Wine CS, while the second-place honor was awarded to Desir du Chanu.
Simon Schröeder finished both first and second aboard Charlie Red Wine CS and Desir du Chanu, respectively. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Schröeder and Charlie Red Wine CS – a 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, owned by Morris Simchowitz and Schröeder – were only the 15th pair in the Grand Prix Stadium, but they laid down a time of 62.331 seconds that would prove uncatchable through the remainder of the large class.
The only other horse to break the 63-second mark was Schröeder’s second entry, Desir du Chanu. The 12-year-old Selle Français gelding, owned by Avery Winston and trained by Shelley Campf, crossed the finish line of the Olaf Peterson-designed course in 62.410 seconds.
Rounding out the top three with a time of 63.113 seconds was Megan Garcia aboard her own Bentlis.
Simon Schröeder and Charlie Red Wine CS. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I love my horses, and I hope it keeps going like this!” said Schröeder. “It was quite a flowy track today. When you keep the rhythm from the beginning until the end, you had quite a chance to win. It was really nice for my horses. I galloped from the first to the last jump really flowing.”
Schröeder has had the ride on Charlie Red Wine CS for more than two years, while his partnership with Desir du Chanu is a new one. That said, he finds that both horses require a comparable ride – and one that suits Schröeder quite well.
“They’re quite similar,” Schröeder explained. “I have to just keep them up and follow them in between the jumps. They’re quite quick on the jump; just in between the jumps, I have to make sure that I go with the flow.”
Following the conclusion of this week’s competition, Schröeder has his sights set on the 2026 competition season at DIHP.
Simon Schröeder and Desir du Chanu. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“After this, we’re going to go make a little break for the holidays,” said Schröeder. “We stay here in Thermal actually. It’s a really nice area to prepare your horses for the following year. The plan is to go here for three months and make also some international classes. Shelley Campf gave me also the opportunity to ride [Desir du Chanu], and I think we can develop the horse and make him into a really classic horse.”
For full results of Wednesday’s $10,000 Barnwalkers 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.
Competition at Desert Holiday 2 continues through Sunday, December 14, with highlights including Friday’s $200,000 MLSJ CSI5* Team Competition, presented by Clip My Horse, and Saturday night’s $340,000 Go Rentals CSI5* Grand Prix beginning at 6 p.m. For a full schedule of events, click here.