Lexington, KY – July 24, 2025 – The action is just starting to heat up at the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, presented by Rood and Riddle, as top athletes gathered at the Rolex Stadium for the first highlight event of the week. They were all vying for the top spot in the $25,000 Kentucky Summer Classic, which was narrowed down to a three-horse jump-off. Michael Desiderio galloped home with the winning honors aboard Le Muguet, finishing just ahead of Hayley Barnhill and Kalief De Brinco in second, while Loic Cannaert rounded out the top three aboard Vivianne Blue PS.
Michael Desiderio and Le Muguet
Thursday’s victory marked Desiderio’s first grand prix win with Le Muguet, who has consistently finished in the top three. “I’ve been second and third over the last couple of years, but this is his first win with me,” he noted. “Le Muguet has been a really good, consistent horse for me for the last three years now. We’ve just been trying to get to know each other still – he’s different every day because he’s a stallion. He’s naturally a little bit of a sensitive horse, so we’re always trying to keep him calm, keep him relaxed, try to just not disturb him.”
Course designer Anderson Lima asked questions throughout the 12-obstacle track in the Rolex Stadium at Kentucky Horse Park, which included a vertical-vertical double combination as the fourth obstacle, an oxer-vertical combination across the middle of the track, and a vertical-oxer double combination going towards the gate before bending to the final narrow vertical. Just three combinations had all the answers in the first round and advanced to the jump-off, where they had to begin over a new vertical and execute several tight turns before finishing over the same final line as the first round.
Loic Cannaert & Vivianne Blue PS
Cannaert was the first to return with Vivianne Blue PS, but lowered the height of the third oxer to incur 4 faults as they crossed the timers in 44.32 seconds. Barnhill, who won the Grand Hunter Championship earlier in the day, showcased her versatility as a rider by piloting Kalief De Brinco to a clear round jump-off effort in 43.23 seconds. Desiderio was next and proved the best was last to go as he made quick work of the course with smooth turns and a fast gallop to the final vertical. Le Muguet tripped the timers in 41.97 seconds to go straight to the top of the leaderboard.
Hayley Barnhill & Kalief De Brinco
“I did not get to see Hayley’s round, I was warming up, but I knew Loic went first, had one down. Hayley was quick, but she was a little bit wide, so I thought maybe if I just stayed on my rhythm and was a little bit neater, it was a good chance that I could be a little bit quicker than her. I just tried to turn a little bit neat and tidy, and it actually helps him just kind of set him back.”
The Kentucky Summer Horse Shows are consistently on Desiderio’s calendar and he was thrilled to be back at the Kentucky Horse Park. “We love it here,” he concluded. “We look forward to these two weeks. It’s beautiful and you’ve got the grass field to ride on – it’s a nice end to our summer.”
The next highlight event in the Rolex Stadium will be Saturday night’s $50,000 Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix, which will be part of the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hats Off Day. Show jumping action will continue next week as well during the Kentucky Summer Classic. For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.