February 10, 2022 
Watching Mark Kinsella and Doraindo blaze to victory in Thursday’s $25,000 FarmVet Grand Prix at the Desert International Horse Park, you’d never guess that it was the pair’s first jump-off—or that they have been partnered for only three weeks.
But three weeks was all that it took for the Irish rider to hit it off with the 14-year-old grey Dutch Warmblood, owned by SWS Training & Sales.
“Today was the first day I ever rode a jump-off with him and the first time that I ever tested anything with him,” said Kinsella. “So honestly, I couldn’t be more happy with the horse, and I appreciate the people letting me ride it.”
From a large field of 45 entries, Kinsella and Doraindo were one of eight pairs to advance without fault over the Olaf Peterson Jr.-designed track. When Kinsella entered the ring as the last rider to return for the jump-off, only Karrie Rufer and Stern dei Folletti had jumped the short course without fault, stopping the clock in 43.174 seconds.
While Rufer’s time was quick, it left the door open for Kinsella, who raced across the finish in 41.352 seconds. With Kinsella taking the win and Rufer finishing in second, third place went to Kyle King and Coffee To Go with a time of 41.666 seconds.
“I was very efficient on my turn back to the second last…luckily enough, it all paid off, and it was fast enough,” said Kinsella. “Especially tonight, [Doraindo] feels like he wants to win. He’s very competitive with himself, and I like that. That’s kind of more of my ride. You just want you to let him be—let him do him—and he seems to get good results.”
While Kinsella has only been partnered with Doraindo for three weeks, adapting to a new horse quickly is nothing new for the 34-year-old.
“I suppose in this business you have to be able to adapt, especially for young professionals like myself, because we have sales businesses and horses come in and out on any given day,” explained Kinsella. “It kind of comes part and parcel with the job. You have to be able to do it. Fortunately enough, sometimes it works out like tonight, and other times it doesn’t. This guy has a lot of experience already; Kaitlin Campbell has had a lot of success with him, so he knows he knows his job.”
Kinsella will now set his sights on one of the featured events of the Desert Circuit IV, Saturday’s $40,000 Adequan Grand Prix beginning on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Other highlight events of the World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) week at the Desert International Horse Park included Friday’s $50,000 Butet USHJA International Hunter Derby, beginning at 1 p.m. Catch all the action live on deserthorsepark.com.
For full results of Thursday’s $25,000 Farm Vet Grand Prix, click here.
