Wilmington, Ohio – Bobby Murphy (USA) set the tracks that welcomed top horse-and-rider combinations for Hunter Derby Friday in the R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington Winter Classic 12, though it was Kelsey Epperson that secured the highest scores of the day to land her third derby win of the 2024 Winter in the Midwest Series.
Referring to her strict per-derby routine of spaghetti dinner on Thursday nights, the “spaghetti dinner was spot on last night,” Epperson noted. “The last time I did the derby I was second, and the spaghetti didn’t taste right the night before!”
Epperson recently turned Pamella Kissman’s Incredible (El Salvador x Budine) into a top, competitive derby horse, and has earned scores in the 90s in all four of his recent derby debuts.
“He was not a derby horse when he came to us. Pamella [Kissman] has been with us for a year and a half, and ‘Jack’ keeps getting better and better. We moved up to the 3’6″ greens this year and decided to start trying some derbies, so now he is a derby horse! That’s his job. Pam is such a good owner and a great horsewoman.”
The 10-year-old KWPN gelding jumped to a first round score of 89, returning in a tie for second place for the handy. Epperson showcased Incredible’s open gallop to impress in the second round.
“I was on the fence about the inside turn to the hand gallop. I wasn’t sure what to do, but Tammy and I decided to give him more room to show off the gallop. I’m glad that I did, because the turn would have been too tight, and I didn’t get the gallop until after the turn. He gets on an open gallop and stays right there. He loves it, it makes my job way easier.”
A second-round score of 94 and a two-round total of 183 put Epperson on top once again.
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Incredible, Kelsey Epperson, Pamela Kissman | 89 | 94 | 183
2 Clayton 35, Colleen Holton, Sarah Steele | 91 | 89 | 180
3 Fineas, Jessica Jurkowitz, Clover Hill Farm | 89 | 86 | 175
4 Roosevelt FLT, Kelsey Mogel, Linda Ostberg | 87 | 85 | 172
5 Didgereedoo VDL, Kelsey Epperson, Lashier Properties LLC | 72 | 92 | 164
6 Reddington RW, Sarah Heller, Angela Jager | 74 | 79 | 153
7 Finnegan, Shannon Meehan, Allison Desantis | 86 | 52 | 138
8 Why Bother, Shannon Meehan, Shannon Meehan | 70 | 66 | 136
9 Hornet Obelensky’s, Michael Janson, Kimberly Janson | 46 | 86 | 132
10 Rio Ruisseau, Ellen Jennings, Ellen Jennings | 49 | 78 | 127
Izzy Beisel Switches Gears to Win the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
Izzy Beisel switched gears from the jumper ring to take the win in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby aboard Harlow Investment Enterprises, LLC Caius (Camaz L x Cuba Libre).
The duo had a successful debut in the top equitation finals this past fall and returned to R+L Arena in top form over Bobby Murphy’s (USA) tracks.
“Caius is really cool. He did all the medal finals this year. We have done him in some hunter derbies before and in the last one that I did, I had a great first round but messed up the trot jump in the handy. So, it was good that there wasn’t a trot jump this time,” Beisel laughed.
Along with the support of her father and trainer, David Beisel, the young rider made a phone call ringside to one her best friendships made at WEC – Wilmington.
“I called Lizzie Rinehart to talk about the hand gallop jump. I was really overthinking it. That was the one thing I felt like I should have been able to do was hand gallop the oxer! Lizzie told me to make the inside turn, but I didn’t end up listening. I was looking at the course board while I was on the phone with Lizzie, and she was watching the live stream helping me make up a game plan.”
With top scores of 88 and 90, the 13-year-old Westphalian gelding impressed the judging panel with his consistency to top the class with a two-round total of 178.
“I would like to thank Mrs. Harlow for the ride on this horse. She bought him a while ago for my dad to do the grands prix on, and he ended up being too quiet. He is always chill and calm. He is a good hunter for me to ride after doing all the jumpers because he doesn’t want to go fast. No matter how much I kick him, I never go fast,” Beisel discussed her transition from the jumpers to the hunters.
$15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1 Caius, Izzy Beisel, Harlow Investment Enterprises LLC | 88 | 90 | 178
2 Peaceful, Vanessa Mazzoli, Vanessa Mazzoli | 86 | 89 | 75
3 Quality Street, Katie Finley, Katie Finley | 83 | 86 | 169
4 McLovin, Abbie Stordant, Abbie Storadnt | 84 | 80 | 164
5 Deo Volente, Charlotte Larson, Charlotte Larson | 81 | 77 | 158
6 Svalegards Gold Crelido, Oliva Jacob, Oliva Jacob | 78 | 78 | 156
7 Camelot, Ryleigh Crisafulli, Ryleigh Crisafulli | 72 | 78 | 150
8 Double Dutch, Alexis Palmer, Alexis Palmer | 79 | 70 | 149
9 Sky Walker, Hannah Flus, Alexis Young | 72 | 76 | 148
10 Qua-Z, Rosemary Rail, Maria Kneipp | 75 | 72 | 147
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 horseshowing.com.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.