Wellington, FL – May 14, 2022 – The fifth and final week of the ESP Spring Series held its featured class for hunter competitors on the grass Derby Annex at Equestrian Village on Friday. Jennifer Bliss and Flight captured their second consecutive win in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Equiline, after jumping to a two-round score of 179.
Deywi Rodriguez was the recipient of the Schneiders Groom Award following the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby as the groom of the winning derby horse. As part of the recognition, Rodriguez was presented with a bag of high-quality grooming supplies courtesy of Schneiders Tack.
Derby action continued on Saturday with the $1,000 2’6”- 2’9” Hunter Derby presented by Score at the Top, which offered less-experienced horses a chance to test derby-styled courses. Topping a field of 12 competitors, Katie Giddings and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang captured the win.
In the USHJA Hunter 2’/2’6″ division, presented by 100X Equine, Ki-Juan Minors of Wellington, FL received top honors with Wiser Now, owned by Laura Ojemann. The pair championed the division after placing consistent performances in all five of the division’s classes, earning a first and a second-place ribbon, two third-place ribbons, and a fourth-place ribbon.
Keri Kampsen captured the tricolor ribbon in the 3’ Green Hunter division with Randee Cherner’s Eliot Du Banney. The partnership was awarded three first-place ribbons which included two over-fences classes and the under saddle, to accrue the most points towards the overall championship honors.
For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Wellington, FL – May 7, 2022 – The Spring IV week of the ESP Spring Series saw hunters compete on the grass Derby Annex field of Equestrian Village throughout the week. The week’s feature class for hunter competitors took place on Friday, with Jennifer Bliss of Wellington, FL and Dandelion Farm LLC’s Flight topping a field of 16 competitors to capture their first derby win together thanks to two high-scoring rounds in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Equiline.
As the groom of the winning derby horse, Deywi Rodriguez was the recipient of the Schneiders Groom Award following the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby. As part of the recognition, Rodriguez was presented with a bag of high-quality grooming supplies courtesy of Schneiders Tack.
On Saturday afternoon, competitors jumped for the blue ribbon in the $1,000 2’6″-2’9″ Hunter Derby, presented by Score At The Top. Nabbing the win by more than ten points, Samantha Senft of Wellington, FL and her own La Roux 11 led the victory gallop with a total score of 177 points.
Ava Scharbo of Winnetka, IL and her own Logan impressed in the USHJA 3’ Hunter division, presented by Perfect Products. Though the pair only competed in three of the division’s five classes, they earned first place in all of their showings, which included two over-fences classes and the under saddle, to accrue the most points towards the overall championship honors.
In the 15-17 Equitation, Natalie Groulx of Bloomfield Hills, MI piloted Kate Abajian’s Lambada to a dominating victory in the divisional standings. The partnership was awarded three first-place finishes in three classes to earn the championship tricolors by a wide margin.
For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Wellington, FL – February 25, 2022 – Week 7 of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), sponsored by Lugano Diamonds, featured top hunter and jumper competition at two facilities on Thursday, February 25. Hunter riders took their turn on the grass Derby Field at Equestrian Village in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, which awarded prizes to the top 12 in sections for Open, Junior, and Amateur out of 110 entries. Victories went to Tiffany Morrissey riding Dr. Kathryn Withers’s Copernicus K, Clara Propp on Aquitaine Equine’s Inquisitive, and Angela Calicchio with City Walk, owned by Cali Horse Sales LLC.
In the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, all three winners would equal or better their first-round scores with their second handy round. Morrissey and Copernicus K entered the handy round in fifth place with a plan, after a first-round score of 93, which included high option points. They moved up to the win with a second-round score of 95, giving them a total of 188.
Along with their derby win, Morrissey and Copernicus K were presented with the Champion Equine Insurance Hunter Style Award by Laura Fetterman. Kelsey Epperson and Didgereedoo VDL, owned by Lashier Properties LLC, finished in second with an overall score of 187.25 points. Colin Syquia and Cynthia Sulzberger’s Front Page were third with 186 points.
In the Junior section, Clara Propp and Inquisitive also came into the second round looking to improve their rank after a first-round score of 85. The two sat in sixth place, but with only a fairly recent return to the ring.
The plan led to a second-round score of 92, giving them 177 for the win. Neither Propp nor Inquisitive are new to derbies, and they both thoroughly enjoy them. Propp finished fourth in last year’s derby with Arabesque and won a pony derby at WEF as well.
Second place in the Junior section went to Sydney Raidy and Dominik, owned by Joe Currais. They finished with a score of 176. Just behind with a score of 173 in third place were Elizabeth Lowham-Ruzzo and her own Secret’s Out.
Unlike Morrissey and Propp, Calicchio started her handy round in the top position with a score of 84.
The pair equaled their first-round score with another 84 to win on 168. City Walk is a 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding and had a career change once Calicchio acquired him.
Lindsay Mutschler and her own Concord finished second with a total score of 153, while third place with a score of 152 went to Leah Patipa and her own Regard.
For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Lexington, Ky. – Aug 1, 2021 – Competition at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show came to a conclusion Sunday evening with the featured hunter class of the week, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. A total of 41 junior, amateur, and professional athletes took to the derby ring in hopes of claiming World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) points and the largest share of the prize. Topping the rest of the pack with their style and precision were Cassandra Orpen and Impression who joined forces after two years apart to take home the winning title at Kentucky Summer Horse Show.
Reid Arani and Kathryn Hall Secure Junior and Amateur-Owner Jumper Wins
Show jumping focus shifted to amateur-owner and junior show jumping competitors in the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show Sunday afternoon. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) Classics took center stage in the arena to wrap up the week’s competition. In the end, it was Reid Arani and Freetown who claimed the victory in the SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic, sponsored by Johnson Horse Transportation. Kathryn Hall and All In 9 nabbed top prize in the SJHOF High Jumper Classic, sponsored by Audi of Lexington.
Lexington, Ky. – Aug. 18, 2019 – The final day of the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park concluded with the $40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. Despite high temperatures, 28 horse-and-rider pairs contested Ken Krome’s course attempting to walk away with the lion’s share of the prize money. At the end of a competitive jump-off, it was David O’Brien and La Belle SCF who walked away with the day’s top honors, in addition to winning the Envisian Leading Rider of the Week award thanks to accumulating the most points in the jumper divisions throughout the week.
Luminosity Shines Bright with Geoffrey Hesslink to Win $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
The Bluegrass Festival Horse Show was bookended by the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows, on Sunday to complete a week of exciting equestrian action. In their first ever class together, Geoffrey Hesslink and Luminosity topped the scorecard following two standout rides to top the field of 40 starters and earn the lead spot in the victory gallop.
Mill Spring, NC – August 12, 2019 – Friday’s $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby awarded Gisele Beardsley O’Grady (Tryon, NC) the winner cooler and ribbons for her efforts aboard Ginny Barnette’s Januar, earning a two-round score of 172 to take the win. In second, Allen Nabors Jr. (Odessa, FL) piloted Lookalike, the 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Levistano x Paola), for Margot Hirsch on a score of 169, while Robert Stucky (Waxhaw, NC) and The Girl From Ipanema, a 2009 Hanoverian mare (Clinton I x Vorbuch) owned by Allie Rae Hayes, claimed third after earning a score of 166 after two rounds.
Fifteen pairs challenged the first-round course set by J. P. Godard (Aiken, SC), and it was Januar all the way after his initial score of 87. Beardsley O’Grady called the 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Junior Mariner x Poetri) “perfect” and “playful” on the way to victory.
“It went really well, so I couldn’t be happier,” said Beardsley O’Grady. “The course was nice. He’s a blast to ride, and he’s got a ton of experience, and I’m lucky to get to ride him. He’s a showman; he goes in there and shows off! So, that works in our favor.
“Everything pretty much rode to plan today. I had a couple lucky moments in the handy round, where he got a little playful, but I think they liked the way he jumped and forgave us for it! I think I could have helped him out just a little better, but everything pretty much rode to plan today. I got the advantage by riding a good horse that jumps so well! He’s perfect!”
Beardsley O’Grady emphasized that Januar is happiest in limited competition with National Derbies only, but he makes the most of every trip around the ring: “His story is a little long – he was imported a couple years ago, and has had a long recovery from a couple injuries,” she explained. “We’re lucky enough that he is back and fully recovered to be in the show ring. He has always loved showing, so I think that’s honestly also helped his recovery. He’s done really well here [at TIEC]. We do a limited amount of shows, and he just loves it every time.
“Jeanne [Smith], our trainer, and his owner, Ginny, have both obviously played a huge part in him,” Beardsley O’Grady continued. “He’s just perfect, and we love him. He’s awesome. Going forward, he will remain a National Derby horse. We want to protect him and keep him happy and sound. He’s not old, but with his prior injuries we want to keep him protected. Ginny just loves her horse, and Jeanne is such a good horseperson that she’s never going to push him,” she concluded. “They’re a really good team for him!”
For full results from the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby, click here.
For more information and results, please visit www.Tryon.com.
Mill Spring, NC – May 31, 2019 – Amberlee Wentz of Colorado Springs, CO guided Dana Vollbracht’s Up in Smoke to a win in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), earning a two-round score of 168.5. In second, Luke Jensen (Denton, TX) rode Jill Barnett’s Coraggio PF to a 168 after two rounds, while Sara Ketcham and Claire de Lune Farm’s Hudson claimed third place on a score of 165 to represent Columbus, NC.
Nineteen horse-and-rider combinations tested the Skip Bailey (Chicago, IL) course design, and Wentz piloted two mounts of the 12 returning for the handy round, placing fourth aboard Dana Vollbracht’s Davidson on a score of 164.
“The course rode great,” Wentz reported. “It was a nice, fluid course, with only one related distance line and we just went out and had fun.”
Wentz and Up in Smoke have “been doing a few Derbies here and there,” Wentz relayed, but “this is his first Derby win with me. He normally does the 3’3″ Performance classes with me, before the Derbies, and then he shows with his mom.”
Having experienced 20 inches of snow at home in Colorado the week before competing at TIEC for the first time, Wentz admitted that “we are not sure we are going home! We love it – it’s amazing here. Everything that’s been done here, they have given great attention to detail from not only the bathrooms and the barns, but to how the entire grounds are set up,” she continued. “We are thrilled to be here, and staying on-site in one of the cabins, which is absolutely amazing.”
Wentz noted that her barn has traveled for competitions across the country, from Colorado to Texas and Kentucky, and that her horses are able to handle significant venue changes easily:
“The horses have all been pretty experienced and have shown quite a bit throughout the country at different venues. I am just really lucky to have great-minded horses; they have all been pretty good about all the new atmosphere,” she concluded.
For full results from the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, click here.
For more information and results, please visit www.Tryon.com.
Lexington, Ky. – May 20, 2017 – Donning a commemorative blue ribbon on his hunt coat, Jeff Gogul earned another blue ribbon, piloting Sofia Roberts, LLC’s Snowbird to win the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby sponsored by the World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC. Entering the ring as the final competitor over a multiple option course designed by Danny Moore, Gogul upset Victoria Colvin’s commanding lead aboard Caliber, with a score of 184.
Out of twenty-five entries in the Stonelea ring, only the top twelve combinations who scored an 80 or above in the classic round were invited back to vie for top honors and a pair of luxurious Fabbri boots. Gogul had an almost flawless first round aboard the 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Snowbird, receiving an 86 from the judges. He also received four additional bonus points for taking all the high options. The score was high enough to position Gogul in first place going into the handy round, but Winn Alden and World Affair were not far behind with an 89.
Heading into the handy round, Gogul had the advantage of going last in the order, but he knew they would have close competition. Victoria Colvin, who won the USHJA National Hunter Derby with Caliber during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, was on track for another victory, rising to the top of the leaderboard with a high score of 92. As the final rider on course, Gogul was prepared with multiple plans after the trot jump at fence four. Calling upon the gelding’s bravery and natural jumping ability, Gogul guided Snowbird over all of the high options, earning them four extra bonus points. The pair received a score 90 from the judges, ensuring their victory in the class.
Snowbird, who has spent the winter showing indoors at the World Equestrian Center, only started showing outside last week at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. During that first week under Kentucky’s blue skies, the pair placed fourth in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. Gogul not only came into the ring prepared to win but he felt the added presence of his beloved friend, Ellen Veitch, whose memory was honored by spectators, riders and show organizers alike with ‘A Day in the Park.’ As he took his victory lap, blue braids standing out in Snowbird’s mane, Gogul reflected on what a perfect day it was to honor his friend who loved her home state of Kentucky and horses equally.
Victoria Colvin secured the second place honors with a score of 179 aboard Laura Karet’s Calibur. Winn Alden scored 178.5 aboard World Affair, owned by Southern Arches, LLC.
A Presidential Modification from the United States Equestrian Federation has been granted to the Winter Equestrian Festival in order to run the $1,000 Small Pony Hunter Classic on Friday, March 10.
There is an important change to the Classic criteria in the prize list on page #136. The last sentence in the top line does not apply to this classic:
“…Small Ponies who show in this class are not eligible for the pony hunter derby.”
This restriction has been lifted and Small ponies may show in both the $5,000 USHJA Pony Derby and the $1,000 Small Pony Hunter Classic on Friday, March 10. The restriction on the rider for no more than two ponies in the classic still applies.
Reminder:
There will be a schooling session on the grass derby field schooling area on Thursday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for those competing in the USHJA Pony Hunter Derby and the USHJA National Hunter Derby.
Don’t forget to sign up for the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, which runs on Saturday, March 11, at 8:30 a.m.
Anyone who is interested in a stall at Equestrian Village should check in with Tom Blankenship in the stable office or at 843-269-4737. Stalls will be available @ $100.00 (plus tax).
Victoria Colvin and Regent RCF Earn Top Honors in $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
Wellington, FL – December 2, 2016 – Samuel Parot (CHI) and Quick Du Pottier rose to the challenge in the $35,000 Dever 1.45m Classic at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The pair raced through the timers to complete their course in 59.22 seconds for the win. Eduardo Menezes (BRA) and Carushka collected second place with a time of 60.36 seconds, while Richie Moloney (IRL) and Alsvid earned third after securing a time of 61.12 seconds.
Parot and his own Quick Du Pottier, a 2004 Selle Francais gelding (Hurlevent de Breka x Cuba), topped the class of 45 entries with the quickest time of the day, making easy work of the course designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA).
“I thought the course rode very fast and on my first horse I had one down so I knew what to do on my second horse. I rode it very fast on my second horse and made some nice turns,” explained Parot. “We turned to the oxer before the skinny very quickly had a good ride to the end combination.”
Parot is an expert at navigating the quickest path around the track as a notoriously fast rider. He noted that he felt he made up the second separating him and Menezes in his approach to the final combination.
“I made the turn to the last combination very close and it rode very well. I believe that is where I made the difference,” he said.
Quick Du Pottier and Parot have traveled across North America this year, competing on the West Coast, as well as in Canada, most recently picking up an FEI win in Calgary this past October.
“This horse also jumped the first day in the speed class and we went fast there too. I think we had a better time, but had one down. This is a very nice horse, who just came back into work this August. He jumped very well yesterday and I think he’s a top horse.”
After the conclusion of this week’s competition, Parot will give Quick Du Pottier a vacation until the middle of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) circuit, where the pair will debut during one of the CSI 5* weeks.
“He will get a good break after this and will come back in the circuit to do the 5* and we will keep doing the ranking classes with him, absolutely,” noted Parot. “All of my horses competing this week, Atlantis, Cous, and Quick, will all have a vacation after this, but I have a few young horses that I will jump in the national classes before WEF.”
Victoria Colvin and Regent RCF Earn Top Honors in $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL guided Regent RCF to top honors in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, besting a large class of talented entries. The pair earned a two round score of 171 for the win ahead of Skyler Fields of Wellesley Hills, MA and Duplukato, owned by Donald Stewart, who finished in second place with a total score of 164. Grace Boston of Owings Mills, MD and Amazone De La Cense, owned by Plain Bay Farm, collected third place honors.
Victoria Colvin and Regent RCF
Colvin, a household name who has garnered many of the most prestigious accolades in the hunter discipline throughout her career, piloted another mount to the winner’s circle after collecting a first round score of 86 and a second round score of 85. Fields, who followed in second, captured the highest score of the day in her handy round aboard Duplukato, receiving an 89 from the judging panel.
The class hosted 18 entries and marked the first USHJA National Hunter Derby of the 2016 ESP Holiday Series, which will continue through the first week of January. Grace Boston, who was presented with third and fourth place honors, piloted three different entries, the most of any rider in the class.
For more information on Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, please visit www.pbiec.com.
