Thermal, CA – February 8, 2025 – Peter Holmes set a challenging track for Saturday’s $75,000 FOBI Grand Prix at Desert Circuit 5, but it was no match for Kyle King and Sig Chiari. The pair jumped to victory in the class, held February 8 on the Desert International Horse Park’s Grass Field.
Twenty-two entries took on the afternoon featured competition and three of them advanced to the jump-off, with King paving the way as the clear pathfinder in the first round.
“The first round, I was actually kind of shocked when I walked it,” said King. “It was a very jumpable course for my horse, but I kind of thought it would be lighter. It was a proper 1.50m track all the way around. It was real.”
Fortunately for King, he also has a real trusted partner in Sig Chiari, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding that he has been riding for roughly four years. The gelding came through for King on Saturday, stopping the jump-off clock in a winning 40.079 seconds. Second place, and the win in the $5,000 YETI U25 held concurrently, went to Melody Liu who rode Napoleon van den Dael to a time of 41.667 seconds. With one rail down in the jump-off, Michelle Parker and Vivalunaika Blue finished in third place.
“Typical ‘Chi,’ I go to ask him to go forward, and he canters like a pony for a few strides,” joked King of his jump-off round. “It took me forever to get him going. I did get lucky [to the second to last fence]. I have to watch the film, but I sort of thought I was going to chip. I think I shut my eyes and just squeezed and hoped that he left. He gave that one to me! I think that’s what ended up pushing us over because I didn’t pull on the reins there. I got lucky. Sometimes it happens!”
King is quick to recognize what a special horse ‘Chi’ is. So special in fact that when the gelding came to King several years ago as a sale horse, King knew he wanted Chi to stay with him, and before long, The Chi Group was formed.
“He’s a great horse. I wanted to get him put together in a syndicate so that I could hold onto him,” explained King. “I got a group of my friends, a lot of other professionals – Carleton Brooks is one, and Ilan Ferder is another – together [to buy him]. I have eight people involved now. I’m so grateful that they have supported me.”
King continued, “You know when you have those horses that are like your pet? [Chi] is my pet. He’s maybe not the most athletic, the fastest, but he just has that special thing. He’s just a great horse in my string for classes like this, for lots of 1.50m classes. You have to have a team of horses, and he’s my steady, steady guy.”
For full results of the $75,000 FOBI Grand Prix, click here.
