Thermal, CA – February 19, 2025 – Savannah Jenkins has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the weekly $10,000 Welcome Speed classes at the Desert International Horse Park’s Desert Circuit.
Jenkins has contested the class six times this season, and she has finished in the top four five out of those six times. It is a particularly impressive feat given the generally large class size – including this week at Desert Circuit 7, presented by Spotlight 29 Casino. This time, Jenkins and Oquido van het Eikehof bested a field of 66 entries to take home the win in the $10,000 Barnwalkers Welcome Speed, held on Wednesday, February 19.
Jenkins is quick to credit her continued success to the speed of her horses, including her winning mount this week, Oquido van het Eikehof.
“My horse is really, really fast across the ground,” said Jenkins of the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, owned by Proper 12, LLC. “Even when I’m slowing down, her feet are still moving quite fast. I definitely could have actually done one less in the last line, but I was like, ‘Okay, I’m fast enough. I need to organize.’”
When Jenkins entered the Grand Prix Arena as the 43rd entry to jump, the leading time to beat of 59.205 seconds had been held by Michelle Berry and Caethe 7 for nearly 30 trips. Of any horse for Jenkins to have to chase, she was happy to have it be Caethe 7, now owned by Professional Maintenance Systems.
“That’s actually also our horse!” said Jenkins. “[Michelle Berry] just bought her last week, so honestly, I was so happy…Their partnership is obviously off to a really cool start.”
While Jenkins would have been happy to see Berry and Caethe 7 get the win, she was also happy to speed to victory herself, and that is just what she did. She and Oquido van het Eikehof cruised across the finish in 58.908 seconds to take over the top spot.
With Jenkins getting the win, Berry finished in second place, and third place went to Conor Swail and Echonix.
“I might not be able to leave out the strides that Michelle did,” explained Jenkins. “There were a few places that I actually added a step…I don’t think there’s really a place where I edged her out just because the two tracks – if you go back to watch the videos – are completely different. The strides are completely different. Mine just moves a little bit quicker.”
In speaking of Oquido van het Eikehof, or “Princess” as she is known in the barn, Jenkins continued, “She’s super cool. Everybody wants one of these in their barn. For how small she is, her heart is enormous. The bravery is outrageous. When you go in there, you pretty much just need to do your part as the rider, and she takes care of everything else.”
To view full results of the $10,000 Barnwalkers Welcome Speed, click here. Competition at Desert Circuit 7, presented by Spotlight 29 Casino, continues through Sunday, February 23, with highlights including Saturday night’s $117,000 Spotlight 29 Casino CSI3* Grand Prix. To learn more and to view a full schedule, visit www.deserthorsepark.com.
