Wilmington, Ohio – Hunter Derby Friday returned to the R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington with the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby of Fall Classic I. Of 20 horse-and-rider combinations, Havens Schatt caught the ride on the Rinehart’s Bond (Clarimo) to top the leaderboard, and also claimed second place aboard Julie McNerney’s Chacoolou (Chacoon Blue x Hauptstutbuch 1 Balancelle).
Bobby Murphy (USA) crafted the tracks that allowed Schatt to soar into the nineties with both of her entered mounts.
“Richard [Rinehart] asked me if I would show Bond this week while Lizzie [Rinehart] is at Capital Challenge and I was more than happy to help them out,” Schatt shared. “It is fun to ride a horse like Bond that knows his job. I ride so many young ones that sometimes I feel like I am always holding their hand, but Bond was ready to go and do it. It was fun to ride him and I appreciate that they asked me!”
Aboard the seasoned 12-year-old Warmblood gelding, Schatt earned scores of 92 and 94 for a winning two-round total of 186.
Just behind Bond, Schatt rode to a 93 and a 90 on her eight-year-old Mecklenburg gelding, Chacoolou, to secure the red ribbon.
“He is eight this year. He has made a remarkable turnaround in the last three months. He has always had the jump, the looks and the athletic ability. He just never had the brain to do it. I just kept going with him nicely before Green Incentive Finals and he ended up sixth overall, so I was thrilled with that,” Schatt spoke about Chacoolou. “Today was a really good test for him. It has been a bit of a long road, but it seems to be climbing uphill quickly now. I have high hopes that he can be my derby horse.”
“We weren’t ready to go right to Florida, and didn’t want to go to Capital Challenge for one horse, so we decided to come here for the whole five weeks. We have a lot of new horses from Europe. We love it here and it is really great for the young horses. It is enough of an atmosphere, yet it’s quiet. They get to understand what the job is about,” Schatt shared her thoughts on settling down in Wilmington for the Fall Classic Series.
Luke Rinehart rounded out the top three with Ellen Brandt’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding, Hero (Brainpower x Corini W), with scores of 87 and 91.
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Bond, Havens Schatt, Lizzie Rinehart | 92 | 94 | 186
2 Chacoolou, Havens Schatt, Julie McNerney | 93 | 90 | 183
3 Hero, Luke Rinehart, Ellen Brandt | 87 | 91 | 178
4 MTM Favored, Richard Rinehart, Alexander Adkins | 89 | 88 | 177
5 Sail Away, Christopher Coberley, Lindsay Lyden | 91 | 85 | 176
6 Udefix, Colleen Holton, Colleen Holton | 86 | 87 | 173
7 Calypso, Wynne Weatherly, Ken & Amy Wexler LLC | 78 | 84 | 162
8 Goldfish, Melissa Donnelly, Fawn Lake Farm LLC | 77 | 79 | 156
9 Evangeline, Aubrey Hunt, Stephany Ryan | 74.5 | 76 | 150.5
10 Carlos Santana, Saoirse Walsh, Saoirse Walsh | 73 | 77 | 150