Wilmington, Ohio – The R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington set the stage for Kristjan Good and Alexandra Maletta’s Carano (Cabardino) as they soared to the top of the leaderboard with the two highest scores of Winter Classic 8.
Bobby Murphy set the tracks for the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products that saw consistent high scores from the field of riders.
Good felt confident in the class with his tried-and-true mount, “This horse won here a couple years ago. He is the seasoned veteran in the barn; he is my go-to guy. He is 11 now and we have had him since he was three.”
Good took an instant lead in the class as the third to go in the posted order, scoring a 91.
“It was a fun track today. There were lots of options. You could just be smooth and open. It was a nice galloping course,” Good shared his thoughts on the first round.
Returning sitting on top, he favored the handy track for Carano, “I am very confident in the handy on this horse. More confident than even the first round, so I just wanted to go in and have fun with him. That is when he shines!”
Landing a 91.5 and an overall score of 182.5, Good and the 11-year-old Warmblood gelding captured the win.
$15,000 Kentucky Performance Products USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Carano, Kristjan Good, Alexandra Maletta | 91 | 91.5 | 182.5
2 Cooper, Emily Corkhill, Decker Equestrian LLC | 88 | 91 | 179
3 Monaco, Madeline Luddy, Madeline Luddy | 84 | 92 | 176
4 Gap Year, Emily Corkhill, Elizabeth Lile | 87 | 87 | 174
5 Lordas 4, Emily Alinen, Susan Benedejcic | 86 | 86 | 172
6 Pura Vida, Melissa Donnelly, Sara North | 83 | 88 | 171
7 Legorado, Emily Corkhill, Anna Gustafson | 80 | 85 | 165
8 Golden De Caverie, Emily Alinen, Spencer Turnblacer | 68 | 69 | 137
9 Storm Chaser, Katie Delano, Stephanie Wiese | 50 | 68 | 118
Emerson Nolte Lands First Derby Win in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
Emerson Nolte marked a historic night in her riding career Friday evening Winter Classic 8 as she proved unbeatable with her Cassiopeia Cellestin (Chellys Z x Anna) to land her first ever derby win.
Not only did Nolte lead the victory gallop for the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Derby, but she led the class by 12 points.
Nolte has found a new confidence in her riding with her new mount, “He has been so amazing. I just started leasing him in June. I was always such a nervous rider, and he has really taken that out of me.”
“He took me to my first show in the Junior Hunters and my first National Derby. This is only my fourth derby, so it is really rewarding having such a big accomplishment!
Nolte jumped a foot-perfect first round for a score of 89, entering the handy with a six-point lead.
“Today’s course was really nice. I played it safe when I came back for the handy, but I thought my hand gallop jump was the best part,” Nolte shared.
The duo’s handy effort earned Nolte and the 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding a score of 87 for a winning two round total of 176.
$15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Derby Results:
1 Cassiopeia Cellestin, Emerson Nolte, Emerson Nolte | 89 | 87 | 176
2 Quidam Adero, Elyse Jescheling, Chuck Waters | 82 | 82 | 164
3 Deo Volente, Charlotte Larson, Charlotte Larson | 83 | 78 | 161
4 Lannister, Zoey Chambers, Suzanne Chambers | 73 | 77 | 150
5 Svengali, Hannah Naftal, Kimberly Williams | 79 | 70 | 149
6 On Pointe, Anna Frear, First Blue LLC | 73 | 75 | 148
7 Carismo, Cameron Gill, Cameron Gill | 68 | 73 | 141
8 Brown Eyed Girl, Sophia Lavanway, Shelley Garrett | 60 | 75 | 135
9 Fairplay De Fremis, Lucy Puhalla, Emily Ainslie | 48 | 81 | 129
10 Lendl, Kimberley Krug, Kimberely Krug | 62 | 54 | 116
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.