Melanie Wright & Game Day Shine in the $15,000 Standlee USHJA National Open Hunter Derby

Wilmington, Ohio – A field of hunter talent took to the R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) Friday evening for the $15,000 Standlee USHJA National Open Hunter Derby of Winter Classic 12.

Designed by Scott Alder, the track featured flowing bending lines and natural fences that encouraged brilliance while rewarding smooth, polished rides. Melanie Wright ultimately led the way aboard her own Game Day (Cyrano VDV Z x Claudia V).

The duo is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having claimed numerous top finishes this series, including a derby victory during Winter Classic 6.

Wright spoke on Game Day’s successful circuit so far: “He won this class a few weeks ago and has been champion in the 3’3” Performance Hunters all five weeks that he has shown here, so he has had a great circuit. We bought him as a baby green horse, so it is so rewarding to see the horse that he has become. I am so proud of him.”

Wright captured an early lead with a first-round score of 90 and returned for the handy round looking to maintain their smooth rhythm and secure the win.

“I really liked the track for him today. He has such a big stride, so the broken lines showed up really nicely for him. I was really going back and forth going in on top for the handy. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to risk it and do the turns because he gets a little excited when we start turning. At the end of the day, I just said, ‘Why not?’ I rode the horse I had, and it worked out. He was such a good boy,” Wright smiled.

Another score of 90 in the handy gave Wright and her 12-year-old Warmblood gelding a two-round total of 180, marking their second class victory of the Winter in the Midwest Series.

A Blue Day in the Best Way: Eilah Epstein & Dolphin Blue Win the $12,500 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby

Twenty-three horse-and-rider combinations gathered Friday afternoon at WEC – Wilmington for the $12,500 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby during Winter Classic 12.

In the end, it was Eilah Epstein who stole the spotlight, securing a commanding victory aboard her own Dolphin Blue (Dinken x Contender) and finishing a full 14 points ahead of the competition.

“I purchased Dolphin about three years ago. He was competing in the jumpers in Germany, and this year our partnership has really started to flourish in both the hunter and equitation rings,” Epstein shared of her partnership with Dolphin Blue.

Epstein favored Scott Alder’s tracks, noting that “they rode really well today! The lines gave us room to lengthen our stride, which helped us stay in a good rhythm and get nice jumps out of the horses.”

Epstein set the pace from the very first round, earning an impressive score of 88 and returning as the final duo for the handy round.

Coming back on top, Epstein shared, “My main thought going into the handy was to keep him put together through the turns and stay consistent. I tried not to think about being on top going in and just ride like any other class!”

Aboard her 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, she proved unstoppable, jumping to an 83 in the second round to top the class with an overall score of 171.

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. 

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