Wilmington, Ohio – World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington culminated with the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Friday evening in the R+L Arena. The field of experienced hunter athletes and competitive horses were impressing the judges with many scores separated by half a point.
Ultimately, Anna Scheirholz scored her second consecutive win with Sloane Silberman’s Star Struck (Bisquet Balou VD Mispelaere x Espoir D’api) at Winter Classic 5.
Though he is a newer face to the barn, “he is very quickly growing to be one of my favorite horses to ride,” Scheirholz said.
Schierholz led the way through the entire class with a first round score of 91 and stuck to her plan to maintain her top spot.
“We walked this course, and then watched the non-pro derby go, and had a completely different opinion of how the course rode. I stuck to my original game plan and planned out all the numbers. That way, if I made a mistake, I at least made a mistake trying to win. I actually loved the way it rode for both of my horses. It was a nice galloping course, which I always appreciate.”
The 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding landed a handy score of 92.5 to secure the lead with an overall score of 183.5.
“We love coming to WEC. This is a fantastic ambiance. It is a much bigger environment than the other indoor horse shows, especially in the Midwest. If you can put in good trips here and be successful here, you can be successful anywhere in the country. We also really love being warm in January!”
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Star Struck, Anna Schierholz, Sloane Silberman | 91 | 92.5 | 183.5
2 Bond, Richard Rinehart, Elizabeth Rinehart | 89 | 93 | 182
3 Corlando 49, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 88.5 | 89 | 177.5
4 Gabrielli, Daniella Urban, Cheryl Matranga | 86 | 91 | 177
5 Kingston Blue, Richard Rinehart, Claire Rockacy | 84 | 92 | 176
6 Jetalon, Amelia McArdle, Monica Possekel | 88 | 87.5 | 175.5
7 MTM Favored, Richard Rinehart, Alexander Adkins | 88.25 | 87 | 175.25
8 Happy Hour, Mindy Coretz, Eighteen Acres Farm | 90 | 83 | 173
9 Corallo Z, Mathew Piccolo, Arrow Hill Farm LLC | 82 | 90 | 172
10 Constellation, Anna Schierholz, Anna Schierholz | 89.5 | 41 | 123.5
Jenna Drago & Sandriano Prevail in $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
The $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby saw 21 horse-and-rider combinations early Friday evening at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington. In the end, it was Jenna Drago and her tried-and-true partner that prevailed in the handy round to secure the win.
Amongst their many wins at WEC – Wilmington, Drago never forgets to express her immense gratitude for her Sandriano, “He is my tried-and-true partner. I just love him. I know that at the end of the day, he is happy, and he makes me happy! He is the best horse ever.”
Sitting in fifth place with a first round score of 80.5, Drago knew to lay down her handiest effort in order to climb the leaderboard.
Drago spoke on her winning plan, “I made sure that before I went in, I got him in front of my leg. Last minute before I went in, Tyler [Petrie] said that there was an inside turn that was hard, but it would be good if I got it done. I got my canter right off the bat. I did the inside turn from one to two, and then from four to five I went in between the options through the gap to the vertical. I saw it and hoped for the best!”
The 17-year-old Zangersheide gelding showed off his derby experience for a second-round score of 94 and a winning two-round total of 174.5.
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Sandriano, Jenna Drago, Jenna Drago | 80.5 | 94 | 174.5
2 Valentino, Kaitlyn Lancelle Bates, Kaitlyn Lancelle Bates | 87 | 87 | 174
3 Pool Boy, Madeline Brooks, Arrow Hill Farm LLC | 82.5 | 90 | 172.5
4 Prosper, Caroline Smith, Caroline Smith | 83 | 89 | 172
5 Quality Street, Katie Finley, Katie Finley | 80 | 89 | 169
6 A La Grino, Katelyn Ziggas, Katelyn Ziggas | 77 | 88 | 165
7 Grandslam ES, Milagros De Jong, October LLC | 80 | 84.5 | 164.5
8 Nureyev SCF, Jaclyn Fisher, Jaclyn Fisher | 79 | 84 | 163
9 Espumante, Katarina Kojis, Katarina Kojis | 77.5 | 84 | 161.5
10 Likely, Bethany Proch, Bethany Proch | 76 | 82 | 158
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 wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.