January 26, 2026 
Sometimes, a rider enters the jump-off intending to ride his own ride, regardless of the rest of the field coming before or after him. Other times, he or she has a very specific opponent in mind.
For Mathijs Van Asten, the latter case was true in Saturday’s Brainjuice Active CSI5* Grand Prix at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP), where the Dutchman rode to the top spot aboard his longtime partner, Hotspot.
“I know I [had] to take some risks, because when Kent Farrington is behind you, then you know that it’s very hard, because he’s very hard to beat,” Van Asten said of the current World No. 1. His one saving grace? He knew his stallion is, naturally, “very fast.”
“I tried to ride my own round, and took some risks from the double to the vertical in the corner. I did one stride less than the rest, and I got a really forward distance to the last one. I think there I made my time,” reflected Van Asten, who stopped the clock at a dominant 36.64 seconds.
Ironically, Farrington and Toulayna would pull a rail in the jump-off, meaning Van Asten, 47, actually had bigger fish to fry from the USA’s Callie Schott with Uricas V/D Kattevennen—clear and second on 38.71 seconds—and Conor Swail of Ireland with Casturano, third on 39.04 seconds. (Farrington ultimately finished fifth.)
Eight combinations on the startlist of 19 would eventually solve the question of Course Designer Alan Wade’s (IRL) 1.60m track under the lights. Van Asten, 16th to go in the first round, returned second-last in the jump-off, with only Farrington to jump after him. But make no bones about it: Van Asten’s decision to take risks with his 14-year-old KWPN stallion was based on years of trust and experience, not blind hope.
“He’s a very special horse. It’s a horse [that], actually, I broke in myself,” said Van Asten, who began competing in California three years ago while training amateur rider Vani Khosla. “We did the first shows with [him] as a 4-year-old, so that’s quite special.”
Special and career-making: This win at DIHP marks not only Van Asten’s first 5* Grand Prix victory as a rider, but Hotspot’s first 1.60m class, coming a full seven years after the pair finished fourth in the Young Horse World Championships for 7-Year-Olds in 2019.
“[Hotspot has] been all his life in our barn,” Van Asten said of the Dutch stallion by Hors La Loi II, who he refers to as his ‘family friend.’’
“He’s really an athlete, and we’re very happy to work with him. Every round he gives a lot.”
