Thermal, CA – February 12, 2025 – A field of 56 horses took on Wednesday, February 12’s $10,000 IDA Development Welcome Speed, but not one of them would come within two seconds of Jessica Gleason and Source Code’s lightning-fast time. The pair blazed over the final oxer-vertical combination in 57.084 seconds to take home their second headlining victory of the 2025 Desert Circuit at Desert International Horse Park.
The win for Gleason kicked off Desert 6, presented by Premier Equestrian, and marked a continuation of great success for the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood Source Code.
“I just am more impressed by him every day!” said Gleason, who has owned the gelding for the past two years. “He can do it all. He can leave it out; he can turn tight. He’s really starting to get it. At first, he could only really leave it out, and the turns were quite hard. Now, he’s starting to almost feel like he’s doing a turn on the haunches in the turn, and then he has the power to step up and jump the jump right at the turn.”
Source Code demonstrated both his turning and leave-out abilities on Wednesday. When the gelding and Gleason entered the Grand Prix Arena, the time to beat had been set at 59.862 seconds by Savannah Jenkins and Drumiller Pin Up.
While Gleason did not accomplish the leave-out she had envisioned down the opening line of the course, it did not matter as Source Code quickly cranked up the pace from there.
“When I turned back to [fence] three, it was all bets off!” explained Gleason. “[Source Code] was like, ‘I got it!’ We left another couple strides out, and he was just feeling so good and so on his game that I let him have it. He was awesome!”
With Gleason and Source Code taking the top spot in the results, second place with a time of 59.647 seconds ultimately went to Keri Potter and Kalimera van de Nethe Z, owned by Karl Cook. Jenkins and Drumiller Pin Up, owned by Julia Thyssen, took home third with a time of 59.862 seconds, and Jenkins also finished in fourth with a time of 61.325 seconds aboard Proper 12, LLC’s Cataleya E.
To view full results of the $10,000 IDA Development Welcome Speed, click here. Competition at Desert Circuit 6, presented by Premier Equestrian, continues through Sunday, February 16, with highlights including Saturday afternoon’s $117,000 CSI3* Premier Equestrian Grand Prix.
