Last Updated on February 24, 2024 by adminahb
Hunter riders took to the grass derby field at Equestrian Village to compete in Friday’s $10,000 NetJets USHJA National Hunter Derby, held in a hunt-n-go format. The day showcased professional, junior, and amateur riders during the Lugano Diamonds-sponsored Week 7 at Wellington International’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
The hunt-n-go format consolidates two rounds into one with both a classic and a handy element. Designed by Tom Carlson (USA), the course consisted of 13 obstacles utilizing the expansive derby field to showcase classic hunter style.
Receiving the highest scores overall over both rounds, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL and Graphyx, owned by Avery Mallard, took the win in Section A after the field was divided in a California split. The pair received double scores of 91 for each phase, resulting in a total score of 182.
“These classes are always fun. I had three horses out here and they were all well behaved,” said Colvin. “This week’s been very light obviously after [WCHR] hunter week, so it’s kind of been a blast, a little bit of a vacation on the field.”
The Section B blue ribbon went to Tiffany Morrissey of Wellington, FL and Copernicus K, owned by Dr. Kathryn Withers. The pair collected scores of 91.50 for the classic portion and 90.25 for the handy portion, totaling at 181.75.
“Copernicus K is my classic derby horse,” said Morrissey of the 14-year-old gelding. “He’s super brave. I know I’ll be good going into any arena. We try to save him for classes like this on the grass because one of his biggest assets is his ability to shine in these big arenas.”
A Good Day for Goodman and Brett Lieb in $10,000 NetJets Junior/Amateur USHJA National Hunter Derby Hunt-N-Go
Hunter action continued the Equestrian Village derby field for another $10,000 NetJets USHJA National Hunter Derby, this time for junior and amateur riders. Forty-four riders took to the field to conquer the same hunt-n-go course as the open riders.
It was Brett Lieb and Goodman who took home the top prize. The pair brought home a classic score of 87 and a handy score of 88 for a total score of 175. The pair went tenth in the order and held the score to beat throughout the rest of the class.
“Goodman is special to all of us. He’s particularly special because he can only see out of one eye, due to a uveitis condition, but he still jumps his heart out,” said Lieb of the 17-year-old gelding. “He always makes me work extra hard to get him going, but once he’s out in the ring, you don’t have to worry about the jumps in front of you; he always figures it out.”
Simon McCarthy and Gotcha Get Back to Winning Form in $32,000 Ethel M Chocolates CSI2* Qualifier
The $32,000 Ethel M Chocolates CSI2* Qualifier closed out competition in the International Arena as Simon McCarthy (IRL) topped a 17-horse jump off with longtime partner Gotcha.
The lead changed hands several times early in the short course before Heather Caristo-Williams (USA) took over the top placing aboard Celtic Hero BZ midway through the order. With several incredibly fast riders still to come, Caristo-Williams and Holly and Ralph Caristo’s 12-year-old Zangersheide stallion (Calikot Hero x Nissan Caretano Z) ultimately settled for third place as the likes of McCarthy and Lacey Gilbertson (USA) blazed ahead towards the jump-off finale.
“Luckily enough, I went quite close to the end, so I got to see a couple go,” he explained. “At the start, the fastest was thirty-six or thirty-seven seconds, and then Lacey went in and some others and it was more like thirty-four or thirty-five seconds. I knew that all the leave outs were an option had to be done if you wanted to win, but Gotcha picked up on all of them and she fought all the way.”
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