Colleen Holton and Udefix Reach Top Scores in $10,000 WEC Hunter Derby Open

*Colleen Holton and Udefix rode to the top of the leaderboard. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Sunny skies set a picturesque backdrop for a day of Hunter Derby classes at World Equestrian Center. Over forty horse-and-rider combinations challenged Bobby Murphy’s elegantly designed courses in the $10,000 WEC Hunter Derby 3’ Open and WEC Hunter Derby 3’ Non Pro which featured lush jumps and several options for riders to show off their horse’s natural abilities.

*The winning duo left all rails untouched. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Colleen Holton and her own Udefix (Uccello x Contendra) brilliantly negotiated both $10,000 WEC Hunter Derby 3’ Open rounds, topping fifteen entries amongst the panel of judges. Holton and the nine-year-old gelding collected scores of 88.5 in round one and 94 in the handy, amassing a total of 182.5 points to win the class.

*Proudly accepting the first place award. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

When asked about her horse and winning ride, Holton said, “My mother and I traveled to Europe, and I brought Udefix home with us. I’ve brought him along since he was six years old, and he has been such a pleasure to ride. I was able to really show off his skills during the handy round from fence one to two. I watched another rider go for it, so I did too!”

*Sam Berry and My Everything took home red ribbon honors. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Sam Berry and Nicole Lyvere’s My Everything gracefully jumped over each effort to gross scores of 90 and 92, totaling 182 for the second-place ribbon.

*Melissa Donnelly and Corlando 49 rode the course with style. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Rounding out the top three placings were Corlando 49 and Melissa Donnelly. The pair turned out two noteworthy rides for scores of 86 and 93, earning 179 points total.

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

Udefix, Colleen Holton: 88.5 | 94 | 182.5
My Everything, Sam Berry: 90 | 92 | 182
Corlando 49, Melissa Donnelly: 86 | 93 | 179
On Call, Holly Helbig, DVM: 89 | 88 | 177
Dianthos XO, Mandy Vergerio: 86.5 | 81 | 167.5
MTM Bentley, Allie L. Mcbreen: 78 | 87 | 165
Prince L, Sarah R. Meier: 85 | 77 | 162
Mo Bandit, Allie L. Mcbreen: 84 | 73.5 | 157.5
Santorini, arah R. Meier: 80 | 77 | 157
API D’HONVAULT, Vimy Henderson: 77 | 74 | 151

*Nicole Lyvere and Haribo claimed the first place prize. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Nicole Lyvere and Haribo Jump to Win $10,000 Hunter Derby Non Pro

Seizing the blue ribbon and effortlessly making a solid impression with today’s panel of judges, Nicole Lyvere and Haribo claimed the $10,000 Hunter Derby Non Pro top honors. This dynamic duo surpassed a field of twenty-eight, accumulating high scores of 91 and 91.5 for the win.

*Sam Berry stands in with Lyvere as she accepts her winning prize. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

Ringside, WEC chatted with Lyvere about her 182.5-point win. “I usually show in the Amateurs with him, but I like to mix it up and he really seems to enjoy it and he loves the challenge. I’ve had ‘Gummy’ since he was four years old, and we’ve worked to develop him over the past several years. I enjoyed the first round the most, he rode so smoothly through it.”

*Leckow and Trusted jumping to second place. Photos courtesy of Winslow Photography.*

First on the course and earning scores of 87.5 and 91 was Claire Leckow riding Trusted. The striking pair cantered through the course, showing off the team’s inherent ability, to earn a combined total of 178.5 for a second-place finish.