Thermal, CA – February 23, 2025 – Zoe Brown has found the FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic Series offered throughout Desert Circuit to be a place where Bling VD Duvelshoeve Z really excels, and that certainly proved to be the case on Sunday, February 23. Brown and “Bling” topped a field of 39 entries to ride away with the win in the $40,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic, held during Desert Circuit 7 at the Desert International Horse Park.
The first-round course designed by Alan Wade saw five horse-and-rider combinations jump without fault to advance to the jump-off.
From there, Shawn Casady and Garfield, owned by Ann Russo, were the first pair to produce a double-clear effort, stopping the clock in 41.938 seconds. Ultimately, Brown and Bling would prove to be the only other duo to leave all the jumps intact, and they clinched the win with a time of 38.834 seconds. With Casady taking second place, third place with four faults went to Christopher Megahey and his own Casian S.
“She definitely knows when it’s an important class!” said Brown of the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, owned by Rooster Run Foundation. “I probably didn’t give her the best ride in the jump-off, but she wanted to win so badly. She helped me out in a lot of places. I’m just really grateful to ride a horse as competitive as her.”
Brown continued, “She has such quick foot speed that she gets across the ground really well. To the combination, I probably added an extra stride in the turn, and she just took over completely all the way down to the last fence.”
Brown has been partnered with Bling for roughly three years, sharing the ride with her mother, trainer Olivia Dawson-Grove.
“She’s kind of been a family horse between my mom and I; we’ve both shared in the fun with her,” said Brown. “She knows her job, and that’s what she’s like in the barn as well. She’s a little bit of a diva. As long as I stay out of her way, it usually goes well.”
With Sunday’s win under her belt, Brown looks forward to continuing to compete Bling VD Duvelshoeve Z in the 1.45m classes offered at DIHP, as well as occasionally stepping the mare up to FEI and national grand prix competition.
Click here to view complete results of the $40,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic.
