Zoe Brown and Immer Fortuna Hold Early Lead to Win $32,000 BRAINJAVA CSI3* Speed Stake

Thermal, Calif. – November 6, 2026 – CSI3* competition continued at Desert International Horse Park’s National Sunshine Series 2, presented by Frank & Eileen, on Friday, spotlighting the $32,000 BRAINJAVA CSI3* Speed Stake in the Grand Prix Stadium.

The one-round class saw 29 international entries contest Colm Quinn’s speed track. Early and eighth in the order-of-go were Zoe Brown, riding for Australia, and Immer Fortuna, owned by Sophia Siegel. With three clear rounds already on the board, they bested the leading time by one second — a mark that held through the remaining 21 trips, despite nine additional clear rounds. They claimed the blue ribbon with a time of 55.68 seconds.

“Immer Fortuna is naturally a very fast horse,” said Brown. “I try not to go too fast — just do the numbers and turn a little bit tighter in certain places but also take my time and not get too ahead of myself. He was really quick from the beginning, and I didn’t really pull rein anywhere.

“I started riding [Immer Fortuna] for the first time this summer at Spruce Meadows,” continued Brown. “We had a great summer. He had a little bit of time off to recover after the summer, and now we’re back here gearing up for a bigger fall. He’s kicked it off in the right way. The plan is to sell him, so we are showcasing his abilities. He’s an incredible horse. This is now our second FEI win together, so we’ll just continue as long as I am able to.”

Coming off Saturday’s $100,000 Kubota Grand Prix victory, Canada’s Kyle King and Replay Touch V/D Stapelheyde, owned by the Chess Group, continued their strong form during week two of the National Sunshine Series. The pair were the final combination to produce a clear round before Brown, ultimately finishing second in a time of 56.94 seconds.

Rounding out the top three in Friday’s class were Michelle Berry (USA) and Alora Sporthorses LLC’s Tilly in 57.74 seconds.

Of this week’s CSI3* competition, Brown is especially appreciative of the expanded FEI schedule debuting at National Sunshine Series 2.

“With FEI here [at DIHP], we now have a great schedule,” said Brown. “After this, we head to Santa Anita, and we’re back again for Desert Holiday. There are so many weeks of FEI — so many opportunities to get in the ring and get experience. For a young rider like me, that’s really everything. It’s so great to have it here in California.”

For full results of the $32,000 BRAINJAVA CSI3* Speed Stake, click here, and to learn more about all competition at Desert International Horse Park, visit deserthorsepark.com.