Thermal, CA – March 5, 2025 – For the third time in less than a month, Keri Potter and Kalimera van de Nethe Z are making headlines at the Desert International Horse Park. On Wednesday, March 5, the pair picked up their fourth major win of the 2025 Desert Circuit, topping the $10,000 Barnwalkers 1.35m Welcome Speed.
Potter and Kalimera van de Nethe Z were first connected approximately eight months ago, and in the time since then, they have built a trusting partnership – and proven to be a highly difficult duo to beat.
On their way to Wednesday’s win at Desert Circuit 9, presented by Marshall + Sterling, Potter and “Mira,” first had to best a 57-horse field and a challenging time to beat set at 58.905 seconds by Camilo Rueda and My Boy Blue, owned by Silver Stables LLC. Rueda’s time had held up for nearly half the class – at least until Potter and Mira entered the Grand Prix Arena. That is when Potter and Kalimera van de Nethe Z made it look easy, stopping the clock in a winning 57.759 seconds.
Rueda would ultimately take home second place, and Kyle King and Mini Kelly, owned by KMBC Equestrian, finished in third place with a time of 59.342 seconds.
“This was her first class back since the CSI3*, and since that was her biggest class yet, I thought I would take a bit of the pressure off this week and just let her have a nice week with a couple small rounds,” said Potter, referencing her first CSI3* competition with and Kalimera van de Nethe Z on February 22, which they also won.
“She has one speed; she likes to go fast,” continued Potter. “She feels comfortable at that speed and less anxious. She really enjoys her job going the fastest speed that she can, so I just let her go where she’s comfortable. I just kind of picked up the canter. I was not going out expecting to necessarily win, but I knew that even at the slowest she goes, she’s still very fast. So, I just wanted it to be a really nice comfortable class for her, and it seemed to do that for me!”
Potter plans to continue to compete the 10-year-old Zangersheide mare, owned by Karl Cook, in one or two additional national competitions at Desert Circuit 9 before stepping the mare back up to FEI competition during Desert Circuit 10.
While Potter and Mira seem to have no problem winning consistently at Desert Circuit, it was not immediately that way. Potter had to slowly build a relationship with the mare, paying attention to the horse’s eccentricities, which she now says are part of what makes Kalimera van de Nethe Z happy and successful.
“[If she were a human], she would probably be like Einstein – very exotically strange but extremely talented and smart – just a little off in some ways but so talented that she shines!” concluded Potter.
To view complete results of the $10,000 Barnwalkers 1.35m Welcome Speed, click here.
