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Wilmington, Ohio – Twenty-five competitors met at the main hunter ring at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) for the $10,000 Shoo-fly USHJA National Hunter Derby during Summer I. In the end, a rainy classic round did not stop Nicole Lyvere and her own Lugatti (Lux) from rising to the occasion over Robert Barton’s (USA) tracks.
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Entering the arena just as the clouds took over WEC – Wilmington, Lyvere entered for round one planning on a confident ride. “I definitely was a little nervous when it started raining and the trees started blowing. It almost made me more nervous, but in a way, it took the pressure off of being perfect. I just went in to give him a good, confident ride everywhere and it almost helped me. He is really smart, and sometimes he can use his smarts for naughtiness,” Lyvere laughed. “I was really proud of him today.”
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Securing a first-round score of 89.5 with her 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Lyvere returned for the handy sitting in second place. “I wanted to be a bit more conservative than I ended up being,” Lyvere commented on her handy. “Going in sitting in second, I just wanted to rely on my good first-round score and just lay down another solid one to carry me through. I didn’t want to go inside the standard after jump one, but that was how it worked out! I went for it and it paid off.”
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The duo secured the win with a handy score of 89 and a two-round total of 178.5.
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Samantha Cooper and Ellen Malson’s seasoned 16-year-old Brandenburg Warmblood gelding, Nandino, added another top three finish to their already impressive record with scores of 83.5 and 91.
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Hampton Baker rounded out the podium with her own 14-year-old Zangersheide mare, Summer Song (Clintissimo x Showtime Z), with scores 90 and 79.
$10,000 Shoo-fly USHJA National Hunter Derby Results:
1 Lugatti, Nicole Lyvere, Nicole Lyvere | 178.5
2 Nandino, Samantha Cooper, Ellen Malson | 174.5
3 Summer Song, Hampton Baker, Hampton Baker | 169
4 Udefix, Colleen Holton, Colleen Holton | 168
5 Bernard, Richard Rinehart, Sarah Lothmann | 166
6 Fineas, Jessica Jurkowitz, Clover Hill Farm | 165.6
7 Clayton 35, Colleen Holton, Sarah Steele | 165
8 Kiss And Make Up, Melissa Donnelly, Vivien Kosal | 164
9 R Du Sol, Devin Milan, Devin Milan | 162
10 Captain Maverick, Abbygale Funk, Gracelyn Haydel | 161.5
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!
Results can be found at horseshowing.com.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.