Wilmington, Ohio – Nineteen combinations met to contest Scott Alder’s (USA) tracks in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby, but it was Melissa Donnelly that impressed with two consistent trips aboard Elizabeth Becker’s Cinda (VDL Douglas x What Pride) to take the win. Donnelly also rounded out the top three with Becker’s Corlando 49.
The night proved special for Donnelly, “It has been a while since I have had two in the top three! Every once in a while, Cinda gets to come out and take it from Corey! As an older horse with no high options, she proved to people that you can still win without jumping the high options.”
Donnelly jumped to a first round score of 85 with the 19-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, securing the third-place position returning for the handy.
Donnelly discussed her thoughts on the track, “I felt the like course rode really nice. It left a lot of options for a lot of galloping if you wanted, or you could ride it more contained. The horses rode around it really nicely. There were options to make it more challenging if you wanted or keep it simple. I was really pleased with both of my horses walking in.”
Laying down an exemplary handy round, the duo earned a second-round score of 88. Consistency landed the duo an overall score of 173 to take the lead.
“Cinda just followed my plan perfectly. She was in the right frame of mind. She was really sharp and took all of the options that I could create. Even with jumping all the low options it made it really nice that she could show off in a few spots. She walked in, picked up the canter and was right on it. She was hunting the jumps tonight.”
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Cinda, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 85 | 88 | 173
2 Sazerac, Kaitlyn Skog, Melissa Hague | 92 | 80 | 172
3 Corlando 49, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 81 | 87 | 168
4 Quirocks, Kristjan Good, Jennifer Lecluse | 82 | 84 | 166
5 Corallo J, Amy Ochoa, Leah Sousa | 84 | 81 | 165
6 Cartography, Kaitlyn Skog, Nevergreen Farm LLC | 79 | 77 | 156
7 Dalliance, Michaella Gerlacher, Charlotte Kunes | 77 | 78 | 155
8 Catching Fire, Erica Zirkelbach, Erika Zirkelbach | 78 | 72 | 150
9 Rule In Favor, Laura Kessler, Elizabeth Sanders | 76 | 73 | 149
10 Cincinnati Red Wine, Stacey Oppermann, Kylin Korb | 72 | 65 | 137
Katelyn Jasky & Conrad Best the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
The $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby saw 23 horse-and-rider combinations, with Katelyn Jasky maintaining her leading position through the entirety of the class.
Aboard her own, 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Conrad (Contender x Waccola), the junior rider of Macomb, Michigan, exited the R+L with a loud applause from the team at Ascend Equestrian, “they are truly my barn family. I truly love each and every one of them so much.”
Jasky was complimentary of Scott Alder’s (USA) uniquely set tracks, “I thought the course was really unique and I was really excited for it. It was a great chance to show off your skills and show off how much fun both you and your horse can have over such a unique course. My plan was just to go in and have fun with him.”
With a significant lead and a first round score of 87, Jasky “wanted to make sure it was a positive round,” in the handy phase.
“I like to take risks, but I always make sure that is it positive for both Conrad and me,” Jasky stated.
An exemplary second round earned a high score of 89 from the judges. With a two-round total of 176, the duo took the win by a total of 12 points.
As their first show back since September, Jasky was thrilled to start on a winning note and is “looking forward to another great year!”
$15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1 Conrad, Katelyn Jasky, Katelyn Jasky | 87 | 89 | 176
2 Carlina 24, Alia McKeown, Madeline Baer | 81 | 83 | 164
3 Latido, Savanna McMichael, Samantha Peleging | 79 | 80 | 159
4 Mandalorian, Lauren Dumeah, Lauren Dumeah | 72 | 85 | 157
5 Rocket’s Red Glare, Kylie Cohen, Kylie Cohen | 76 | 78 | 154
6 Indigo, Addison Kane, Addison Kane | 71 | 82 | 153
7 Bejeweled, Addy Bross, Addy Bross | 74 | 76 | 150
8 Double Down, Isabel Henick, Jennifer Henick | 83 | 65 | 148
10 Handmade, Rachel Dantley, Rachel Dantley | 86 | 42 | 128
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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.