Wilmington, Ohio – Chance would be a fine thing during Fall Classic 5, as Havens Schatt once again topped Scott Alder’s (USA) winding tracks in the R+L Arena for the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby sponsored by GGT Footing. Schatt and her own Chance (Connect x Paloma S) scored their second consecutive derby win together Friday at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington to conclude 2023 Fall Classic Series.
Schatt, of Lexington, Kentucky, piloted her own eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding to the highest score of the day of 94 in the first round.
Schatt used her knowledge and experience in the hunter ring to negotiate Alder’s tracks. ““I felt like you really had to ride the courses, there wasn’t much time to rest. Everything came up quickly and the first line was a little tricky. When I walked it, I thought seven strides, but with Chance, he doesn’t always like to go away from the gate right at first. My plan was to go to the end of the ring and jump it off the right lead and get up in seven, but I know him well and I wasn’t sure that option was quite possible when I walked in the ring. I jumped it off the left and opted for the eight. He settled in after that and the first round was really good.”
Returning for the handy, Schatt rode every step of the way to maintain her place on top of the leaderboard for the second week in a row, and impressed the judges with her striking gelding for a score of 87.
“He is much better if you come right from the schooling area and go. If you stand there and think about it for a minute, it doesn’t always suit him. He thinks he would rather stay out here with the cookies! I had to stay out of the ring a bit longer than I wanted, so he was a bit behind my leg to the first jump. But he is really handy and agile once he gets going, so I just picked a pace after that and kept on going. I had a pretty good lead going in, so it all worked out for me!”
Schatt continues to learn from her barn mascot, Chance, and spoke about his particular personality in the ring.
“To me, he acts like he has a bit of anxiety, but once he realizes what he is doing he thinks it’s all fun and he is really game. He is just a quirky horse, and he doesn’t particularly thrive in a pressure situation. He wants to do his thing and be himself, so that is the biggest thing that I have to keep in mind. I want to go in and win and do what I want to do, so I have to really make my plan with him and stick to it. I just ride him and if it happens it happens, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t!”
The duo set themselves up for success as they prepared for the National Horse Show with a winning total of 181.
$15,000 USHJA GGT National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Chance, Havens Schatt, Havens Schatt | 94 | 87 | 181
2 Banks, Colin Syquia, Eurasia Inc | 88 | 86.5 | 174.5
3 Calderron, Gustavo Prato, Gustavo Prato | 83 | 89 | 172
4 S. R. Croacia, Patricio Rodriguez, Patricio Rodriguez LLC | 74 | 86 | 160
5 Benji, Devin Milan, Cynthia Chaconas | 81 | 77 | 158
6 Party Time, Lisa Bac, Lisa Bac | 80 | 77.5 | 157.5
7 Marco Polo, Elle Taylor, Elle Taylor | 75 | 79 | 154
8 Fleetwood, Abbygale Funk, MMK Equestrian LLC | 50 | 90 | 140
9 Canyon Z, Lisa Bac, Lisa Bac | 78 | 54 | 132
10 Wherewithal, Colin Syquia, Christina Mohr | 82 | 44 | 126
Colin Syquia & Front Page Headline the $12,000 WEC 3’6 – 3’9 Hunter Derby at Fall Classic 5
Colin Syquia and Front Page (Vigo D’Arsouilles x Cartagena Indias Ecaussinnes) returned to World Equestrian Center – Wilmington to defend their winning title in the $12,000 WEC 3’6 – 3’9 Hunter Derby.
The duo has made the headlines at nearly every prestigious horse show on the East Coast including the Devon Horse Show, the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, and a recent win the $25,000 International Derby in Tryon, North Carolina.
Syquia, of Wellington, Florida, had only positive things to say about the upbringing of his winning mount, “He really is a superstar. I have had him since he was a three-year-old. I was the first one to ride him here in the states. We brought him up from the Baby Green’s to now, he is jumping the 3’9 this year. We show at the National Horse Show next week to show in the Green Hunter 3’9, and then we will head to Wellington and take a bit of a break, and then his owner is going to start riding him again!”
Laying down a picture-perfect first round, Cynthia Sulzberger’s Front Page earned a score of 93, securing the leading position moving into the handy.
“The course designer made it interesting. There were a lot of flowing parts to it, and it was a bit different, so it was a good challenge to have to practice going forward off a short turn and then making tighter turns afterwards. It worked on the rideability. Front Page loves this kind of scenario, having to do tight turns and then open back up to a gallop. He eats it up!”
The nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding continued his winning ways in the second round for a score of 92 and an overall total of 185 for the win.
$12,000 WEC 3’6 – 3’9 Hunter Derby Results:
1 Front Page, Colin Syquia, Cynthia Sulzberger | 93 | 92 | 185
2 Huck, Campbell Brown, MMK Equestrian LLC | 86 | 89 | 175
3 Hilton II, Keely McIntosh, Booth Show Jumpers | 84 | 88 | 172
4 Caius, Izzy Beisel, Hawlow Investment Enterprises | 85 | 86 | 171
5 Inne Van De Plataan, Keely McIntosh, Booth Show Jumpers | 81 | 81 | 162
6 Ledgeway, Kelly Arani, Marigot Bay Farm LLC | 48 | 86 | 134
7 K T Miel, Claire Austin, Michael Kirby | 79 | 49 | 128
8 Diamant 394 J, Kelsey Currie, Kelsey Currie | 47 | 55 | 102
Finley Scheffel & Artano G Top the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
The $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby kicked off featured competition in the R+L Arena Friday afternoon. Finley Scheffel (USA) and her own Artano G (Sheraton x Madonja G) bested the field of competitors, in great preparation for their trip to the Las Vegas National Horse.
Scheffel feels confident for her national debut after her win in Friday’s class, “I haven’t been doing too much with Artano because I was working at Capital Challenge and at Harrisburg. So, we came to this show to prepare for Vegas because that has been my goal all year. I almost didn’t do the derby because I didn’t want to do much, but I’m glad I did it! He is just working phenomenal right now. He can be a bit spooky, so being able to jump these more difficult courses will make Vegas feel a little bit easier.”
The hard-working young rider of Georgetown, Kentucky, set the standard in the class as the first to in the order jumping to immediate high score of 87.
Returning as the final entry sitting on top, Scheffel and her 18-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding navigated the handy track like professionals to score a 90.
“The courses were a little bit difficult today. There are a lot of jumps in there and it is a bit difficult to navigate if there were any inside routes or not. The arena is beautiful, but it is super full today, so I really had to pick and choose where to go. Artano is always up for the challenge,” said Scheffel.
A two-round total of 177 put the duo on top in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby.
$15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1 Artano G, Finley Scheffel, Nori Scheffel
2 SWS Questionnaire, Campbell Brown, MMK Equestrian LLC
3 Cassiopeia, Lindsay Birnbrich, Lindsay Birnbrich
4 Synchronicity, Alison Roper, Samantha Roper
5 Costar, Kelly Arani, David Matisz LLC
6 Dianthos XO, Jessica Ferraro, Linda Cromie
7 Fever Pitch, Sophia Randall, Sophia Randall
8 Ramiro Van’t Veldeken, Brittany Bogan, Brittany Bogan
9 Nickel Ride, Beanna Moore, Brooke Moore
10 Campari, Marie Lafond, Marie Lafond