Horses and riders returned to the show grounds at HITS Desert Horse Park for another spectacular season of shows at the Coachella Desert Circuit. The week kicked off with the $5,000 Johnson Horse Transportation Open Welcome and the $25,000 SmartPak Open Prix.

The order of go was stacked in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Open Prix, but it would be Richard Spooner aboard Cristallo, owned by Show Jumping Syndications International, to take home the top prize. The victory was won in a thrilling jump-off where the top places were divided by mere fractions of seconds.

Thirty-two challengers tried their hand at the course and the field would narrow to 16 for the jump-off. Nine would go clean in the jump-off, leaving the winning place on the leaderboard all up to speed.

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