Halifax, MA – May 22, 2011 – The 2011 Fieldstone Spring Festival concluded its final day of competition on Sunday with an exciting schedule of hunter derby events all held on the Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility’s beautiful grass Grand Prix Field. The $10,000 3’3” Hunter Derby was the feature event of the day with a great win for local professional rider and trainer Cory Hardy, of Waltham, MA. Hardy guided Mary Chase’s seven-year-old German Warmblood gelding Connor to the win following two rounds of competition. A $2,500 2’9” Hunter Derby immediately followed with a victory for 17-year-old Susan Huyett, of Concord, MA, riding her ten-year-old Oldenburg gelding Huckleberry Finn.
Course designer Nathan Panetta, of Warner, NH, set the tracks for today’s hunter derby classes. The $10,000 3’3” Hunter Derby was held first on the beautiful grass field with 22 entries and the top twelve returning for round two. Class winners Cory Hardy and Connor finished round one with a score of 78 and then had a fantastic trip in round two to score an 85, tallying the highest two round total of 163.
Elizabeth Kenny and Donald Stewart’s Don Juan finished in second place, just one point behind the winning pair, with a 162 total from combined scores of 80 and 82. David Oliynyk and Generous, owned by Lori Gaudet, finished with scores of 81 and 80 for a 161 total in third place. Hardy and his second mount Le Chasseur, also owned by Mary Chase, finished in fourth with scores of 83 and 77 to total 160. Robert Lee and Shock Top scored a 76 in the first round and then earned an 83 in round two to finish with an overall score of 159 for fifth place.