“She’s the best mare I’ve ever ridden.”
So said trainer Sean Leckie (USA) of his winning mount in the $10,000 Platinum Performance Welcome Speed 1.35m at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) in Thermal, CA on Wednesday.
Leckie and Bec Alter Ego topped a 29-horse field in the Colm Quinn-designed speed course, carving a speedy inside track to stop the clock at 60.902. They were the only pair to cross the timers in under 61 seconds.
“When I train young riders to hopefully become professionals, it’s a real journey. It’s a real process. We start most of our kids in the 1.0m [division] and bring them up through the ranks. For me, that’s super exciting. I love seeing them go achieve their goals.
“Last year, we were lucky [all our students] all got medals [at the North American Youth Championships] and this year we’re hoping and hungry to go back and do the same thing again.”
