Thermal, CA – March 8, 2025 – Mariano Maggi and Quantico 23 made it two in a row on Friday, March 7, as they topped the $24,999 Marshall + Sterling 1.40m Open Classic after having already won the $30,000 Marshall + Sterling 1.40m Open Classic just five days prior.
This time, winning required besting a field of 69 horses jumping under the lights at the Desert International Horse Park – but Maggi and Quantico 23 made it look easy.
“The horse is a very nice guy, always willing to please the rider,” said Maggi of the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding, owned by Ilan Ferder. “Today, I came into the arena just in the beginning. I saw I did quite an efficient round, but it was a large number of riders after me. I said, ‘Okay, I want to make them run for the class, but it’s beatable.’ But it looked like, at the end, no one could make the course as quick as [Quantico 23]!”
Maggi and Quantico 23 were only the fifth pair to take on the track in the Grand Prix Arena, and for much of the class, no one could come within even two seconds of Maggi’s 64.599 second time. Finally, the 59th entry to jump, Emily Esau Williams and Cocette du Plevau Z, got within a second of catching Maggi, but their time of 65.378 seconds still was not quick enough for the win.
With Maggi taking the top honor, Esau Williams finished in second, and Kyle King took home both third and fourth on Mini Kelly and Sidekick, respectively. Click here to view full results from the class.
