Two-time Olympian Ashlee Bond (ISR) claimed the coveted $1M Coachella Cup, presented by Brown Advisory, with Donatello 141 on Saturday evening to close out MLSJ La Quinta at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP).
A west coast native, Bond made good work of the massive stride and ground covering foot speed of “Donnie” in a 12-horse jump-off that included seven riders ranked within the top 50 in the world.
“I watched everyone go and they were so fast, I thought second or third would be good,” admitted and emotional Bond, who grew up riding in California but is now based in Florida. “Donnie’s stride is so big; I was able to keep flying through the places where others had to slow down.”
Bond and Donatello 141, a 13-year-old Westphalian gelding (Diarado x Lamoureux I), stopped the clock at 39.33 seconds, pipping USA’s Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25 to second.
The two-time FEI World Cup™ finalist held on as the runner-up in 40.48 seconds with his 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cascadello x Clinton) owned by The Carissimo Group, while Colombia’s Mark Bluman piloted Ubiluc to a hard-fought third place. Ubiluc, a 12-year-old Mecklenburg gelding (Ubiko x Lucian) owned by Mark’s cousin and previous rider, Daniel Bluman in partnership with Over The Top Stables, topped the clock at 40.91 seconds.
Course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER) set a track that tested even the best with several fences offering a nod of inspiration to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I’m speechless. I can’t believe this just happened,” said Bond, who was supported by her teammates on the DIHP Roadrunners, family and groom Zoe Hagti. “I’m honored to be a part of the Roadrunners, and Donnie gives everything for me every time we come out. It’s been an up and down year, so I’ll take it!”
When asked about Donatello’s newfound speed, Bond noted that she recently started riding the gelding without shoes. “I have to thank my father [Steve] for improving his handiness but also when we pulled the shoes, he got so much faster.”
(Ed note: There were four Canadians in this class; top finisher, and the only one who made it to the 12-horse jump-off, was Sean Jobin riding Arkuga in 12th spot)
Results here.
After a season of consistent top finishes that included victory in the KASK 5* Grand Prix at MLSJ Tryon, Trelawny Trailblazers stalwart Conor Swail (IRL) captured the overall individual title for the 2024 MLSJ season. He collected the winner’s share [50%] of $100,000 in bonus money.
World no. 4 Kent Farrington (USA) was second in the overall standings, and USA’s Lillie Keenan took third after a top-10 finish in the Coachella Cup.
The final week of the 2024 MLSJ season calls Desert International Horse Park home once again as teams fight it out for overall season accolades on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tune in live on MLSJ TV.
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