Thermal, Calif. – Fresh off a victory in last Wednesday’s CSI5* Welcome Speed, James Chawke returned to Desert International Horse Park on February 4 to take home another Wednesday speed class win. This time, the Irish rider piloted Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z to the top spot in the $10,000 LINEONE Hair 1.35m Welcome Speed to kick off Desert Circuit 5, presented by Frank & Eileen.
Designer Peter Holmes set the speed course on the Grass Field, and Amanda Gomez and Charly-Ann quickly established the time to beat at a competitive 56.915 seconds. As the penultimate rider to jump, Chawke selected a slightly different track than Gomez, which ultimately led to him narrowly securing the win in a time of 56.764 seconds.
“Amanda’s horse is very quick, but we kind of did very different numbers,” explained Chawke. “I did one less in a few lines; she did less in the turns. It just about equaled each other out. It was pretty close.”
With Chawke taking the win and Gomez and Charly-Ann – owned by Rising Star Equestrian – finishing in second, third place went to Jessica Gleason and her own Mack Wildrick.
“Nacara I’ve had for a couple of years now, probably three years,” said Chawke of the 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding, owned by Alison Locke. “He’s very blood, very sensitive. He kind of likes to run along a little bit. He a little bit likes that sort of rhythm. He’s really very competitive, very fast.”
Chawke continued, “He’s won a few CSI3* 1.50ms. Really today I just wanted to get him back out on the grass. I was injured last winter, so he didn’t really do anything here. I thought it’d be nice to get him out there, and he was super. The grass feels really good!”
For full results of the $10,000 LINEONE Hair 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.
Featured jumper competition at Desert Circuit 5 will continue on the Grass Field through Sunday, February 8, with highlights including Saturday afternoon’s $75,000 PGA West Grand Prix. 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.
