Kyle King and Kayenne Z Capture $340,000 CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Victory
Kyle King describes Kayenne Z as a horse that “has been delivering dreams one after another here recently” – and the mare certainly helped King fulfill another dream on Saturday night, January 31, at Desert International Horse Park.
In front of a full-house crowd at the Thermal, Calif. venue, King (USA) claimed his first CSI5* grand prix victory, topping the $340,000 CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM – Thermal, presented by La Quinta Resort & Club.
Alan Wade set the track for the featured class of Desert Circuit 4, and it all came down to a thrilling seven-horse jump-off.
The USA’s Karl Cook set the early time to beat at 36.60 seconds aboard Foxy de la Roque, and soon it was King’s turn. As he and Kayenne Z flew over the final Longines oxer in 36.46 seconds, King’s hometown crowd erupted into cheers.
“This is my home,” said King. “I live here on this property seven months of year, and I ride a lot of rounds in these rings. I’ve got a lot of friends and family and clients and people. It is always nice to be here at this horse park because it’s an amazing venue. Everybody treats you great here, and I feel really home. I’ve got for sure all the staff and everybody that hung around to watch night, they’re all rooting for me. It was nice!”
With King taking the win, Cook and Foxy de la Roque finished in second, and Kaitlin Campbell and Karius made it a fully West Coast-based top three as they finished in third with a time of 39.96 seconds.
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