Catherine Rinehart and Hero Shine in $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Open

*Catherine Rinehart and Hero win the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Open. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Hunter Derby Friday at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington took over the outdoor main hunter arena for a day of top competition.

Nearly fifty partnerships challenged Bobby Murphy’s tracks during the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Open and the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro. The well-designed courses featured long approaches, beautiful live-edge wood jumps and an abundance of colorful floral arrangements. Scores soared but none could top Catherine Rinehart and Hero.

*Rinehart the win with each perfect jump. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

WEC caught up with Catherine to chat about her winning ride. “This is my son’s horse! He’s in California this week at surf camp, so I borrowed him to show! I’ve shown him one other week at WEC Ocala, and he is such a blast. We won our class there, too.”

Her son, Luke Rinehart, typically pilots Hero (Brainpower x Corini W) but Catherine stole the show today, taking top honors in this afternoon’s $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Open. Rinehart and the 10-year-old KWPN gelding navigated a stunning first round, jumping all four high options with ease to earn a score of 91.

*Happily accepting her first place prize. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

“He jumped the options so well through both rounds. He is such a classic jumper and that is why I wanted him for Luke. He’s just so good for us. I don’t ride very much anymore, but I really enjoy riding this guy.” said Catherine.

Rinehart and Hero completed a fancy handy round to earn a score of 88 from the judges, for a two-round total of 179.

*Melissa Donnelly and Corlando 49 took home second place. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Melissa Donnelly and Hunter Derby extraordinaire, Corlando 49 (Cartani x Olanda I), delivered their usual stylish performances. The mighty gray gelding floated seamlessly to earn a score of 81 in the first round, followed by a class-topping 93 in the handy, for a combined score of 174 to win second.

*Holton and Udefix cleared each effort with style. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Last week’s $10,000 WEC Hunter Derby 3’ Open winners, Udefix and Colleen Holton turned out two nice rides for scores of 85, 88 and 173 to finish in third place.

$10,000 WEC Wilmington 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:

Hero, Catherine Rhinehart: 91 | 88 | 179
Corlando 49, Melissa P. Donnelly: 81 | 93 | 174
Udefix, Colleen Holton: 85 | 88 | 173
Blush, Christopher Coberley: 87 | 85 | 172
Decorated Hero, Liz Hutchinson: 83.5 | 86 | 169.5
MTM Bentley, Allie L. Mcbreen: 83.5 | 80 | 163.5
Mo Bandit, Melissa Rega: 82 | 80 | 162
Levidinus, Jonathon Fischetti: 73 | 80 | 153
KSI Forty, Chloe Johnson: 77 | 68 | 145
News For You, Christopher Coberley: 80 | 47 | 129

Emma Paul and The Huntsman Dominate the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro

*Emma Paul and The Huntsman take the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro win. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Twenty-nine Non Pro contestants tried their hand at Bobby Murphy’s forward track, but it was Emma Paul and Fox Meadow Farm’s The Huntsman who collected top scores to win the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro.

“I’m so grateful to Polly Howard for allowing me to ride this guy. He is a very good boy! He was so attentive to me, did everything I asked of him, and he helped me in a few spots for sure,” mentioned Emma.

*It was all smiles for Emma as she accepted the first place prize. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Drawing an early ride, Paul and the glistening chestnut gelding were sure to put on a show. The pair impressed the judges, notching a first-round score of 90, making the top twelve cut-off to secure a spot in the handy round.

Later returning for the second round, Paul and The Huntsman seized their first-place fate, riding exceptionally to earn an 83 score, combined to 173 for the first-place ribbon.

*Red Roc and owner, Phlipot, rocked the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Non Pro. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Taking home the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro second place award was Kiera Phlipot and her own Red Roc (Roc USA x Rhea). Just barely reaching the cut-off in round one with a score of 79, Phlipot and the talented gelding reached monumental heights in the second round. Their pair graciously marked a 91, making a leaderboard comeback to notch second place honors.

*Emma Paul secured another top-three leaderboard finish. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

First place rider Emma Paul and her own Full Count rounded out the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro top three with scores of 82 and 86 for a combined 168 for a third-place finish.

$10,000 WEC Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro Results: