Richard Rinehart & Jaguar Capture $10,000 Shires USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Win at Fall Classic 2
03 OCT 25 Wilmington, OH
Wilmington, Ohio – Bobby Murphy decorated the R+L Arena at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington in picturesque fall style for the $10,000 Shires Equestrian USHJA National Open Hunter Derby of Fall Classic 2. Richard Rinehart ultimately captured the top spot aboard his own Jaguar.
Scores reached the high 90s as the group of professional athletes displayed one near-perfect round after another.
Rinehart earned a first-round score of 91, putting him in third place returning for the handy.
Executing a second round even better than the first and taking every handy option available, Rinehart earned an impressive 96.
The five-year-old KWPN gelding set the stage for a bright future as he went home with the blue ribbon and a two-round total of 187.
$10,000 Shires Equestrian USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results
Luke Rinehart & Curb Service Prevail in the $10,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
The $10,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby of Fall Classic 2 saw a group of seasoned young athletes compete for the top prize, but after two rounds with scores into the 90s, Luke Rinehart prevailed aboard Don Stewart’s Curb Service.
With a first-round score of 89, Rinehart returned sitting in second place, following Izzy Beisel, who had taken the lead with a second-round score of 94.
Rinehart shared his thoughts as he entered for the handy: “It was exciting coming back. I knew I was going in on a high first-round score, but I knew it wasn’t the leading score.”
“So, I wasn’t planning on doing the inside turn from two to three, but I saw Izzy [Beisel] do it and they gave her such a high second-round score. I knew I needed to do it, and I caught it exactly how I wanted to,” he said.
The judges rewarded his handy efforts with a score of 91.5, taking the lead by half a point with a two-round total of 180.5.
Rinehart has had nothing but success with the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding and feels confident for the remainder of his finals season after the win.
“I have been riding Curb for just under a year now. He is owned by Don Stewart, my equitation trainer. Ever since I started riding him, he put me on the map in the equitation ring. It has been a great partnership, and I have had a great time with him,” said Rinehart.
“We just did the North American last week at Capital Challenge, and we have Harrisburg next week, so this class is great prep. I am feeling really confident going into medal finals.”