Simon Schröeder Speeds to One-Two Finish in $10,000 Barnwalkers 1.35m Welcome Speed
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.
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.
“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.
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