Thermal, CA – March 14, 2025 – For an unprecedented fourth year in a row, Nick Haness galloped away with the win in the $100,000 USHJA WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular, presented by Irene Neuwirth. The three-time defending champion claimed his fourth victory aboard Cavaletto Loma Z on Friday, March 14, at the Desert International Horse Park.
“I’m just in complete shock and just feeling really excited right now,” said Haness. “Cavaletto Loma Z is an incredible horse. I’m so proud of him tonight.”
Having also earned a win in the WCHR Central Hunter Spectacular and a win in the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, Haness has now brought home an impressive total of six Hunter Spectacular victories. However, Friday’s 58-horse field was certainly not going to make it simple for Haness to pull off the win again.
At the conclusion of the first round of competition – held on Friday afternoon in the Grand Prix Arena – Haness and Cavaletto Loma Z sat in second place with a score of 91.75. Going into the evening’s Playoff Handy Round, the lead with a score of 93 was held by Nicole Bourgeois and Mc Queen. Haness also sat in third with a score of 91 aboard Clear As Day.
With the top 17 returning to the Grand Prix Arena to jump in a different atmosphere under the lights, it was still very much anyone’s game going into round two.
“There’s definitely a big atmosphere and ambiance tonight,” said Haness. “I think that the horses could sense that. I could feel that ‘Cavaletto’ was excited, but he actually warmed up really relaxed for the handy round. He loves the handy, so I was really excited to come in and try to move up in the ranks as he was not on top of the leaderboard after the first round. I was just thinking to myself, ‘I trust this horse very much.’ I know him very well, and I just was confident that my plan would hopefully work out. He delivered everything I asked him to do for me.”
With a seamlessly handy and smooth second round, Haness and Cavaletto took over the top of the leaderboard and remained untouchable there with a second-round average score of 92 for a final, averaged score of 91.88. Bourgeois and Mc Queen, owned by Barbara Lovre, ultimately finished in second place with a very close score of 91.38, and Haness and Clear As Day, owned by Balmoral, held on to third with an overall total score of 91.25
Haness has been partnered with the 11-year-old Cavaletto for roughly two years and is largely responsible for transitioning the gelding to the hunter ring from the jumpers where Cavaletto was previously competing with Israeli Olympian Ashlee Bond.
“He’s won a lot of derbies now,” said Haness of the horse owned by West Coast Equine Partners LLC. “He was our winner here last week in the international derby in this ring, which was sort of my setup and my plan to get him in this ring for preparation for this week. He is a tremendous athlete. He’s a very scopey horse.”
To view full results of Friday night’s $100,000 USHJA WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular, presented by Irene Neuwirth and held as part of Desert Circuit 10, click here.
