This afternoon saw sixty entries vie for top honors in the Open and Non Pro $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derbies. Both courses were designed by Keith Bollotte, a course designer with more than thirty years of experience in the industry, and featured a two stride line, two bending lines and several opportunities for tidy turns in the handy round.
Open $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
The afternoon began with the Open $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The class included twenty eight stunning hunters, but it was Tammy Provost who emerged victorious, taking first and third place aboard Brenda Christenson’s All In and Moyer Farm LLC’s Hero (Brainpower x Corini W) respectively.
Provost rode Hero near the top of the order. The pair have a great rapport, taking top placings in the Performance Hunters 3’3″ this Summer. This afternoon, Provost and the seven year old KWPN stallion set the standard in the first round, earning a score of 89.
Shortly after, Provost returned aboard All In. The pair were fresh off of top placings in the Performance Hunters 3’3″ at the Kentucky National horse show in late September and were ready to bring their best to this afternoon’s Derby. Provost and the eleven year old Dutch Warmblood gelding impressed the judges in the first round with a stylish round that earned an 87.
Another notable entry in the first round of this afternoon’s Open $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby was Michael Britt-Leon and Kelly Sim’s Eleventh Hour (Christ x Baloubette). The pair frequent the High Performance and Green Hunters, typically earning tricolors. This afternoon, Britt-Leon and the ten year old Oldenburg gelding showed off their skills, earning an 88 on the first round.
The ring was refreshed and the top twelve entries returned for the Handy round. Provost rode All In near the midway point to accommodate for her multiple rides. Most entries opted to canter straight up the center of the ring to fence once, then take the inside turns to fences two, four and five. Provost and All In took their strategy to a new level, wowing the judges with their foot-perfect round and earning a score of 91 for an overall total of 178, moving them to the top spot.
Shortly after, Britt-Leon took to the handy course aboard Eleventh Hour. The pair also opted for the direct approach to fence one and the multiple inside turns. For their efforts, Britt-Leon and Eleventh Hour earned an 89, which brought their two round total to 177, just behind Provost and All In.
Last to return was Provost aboard Hero. Like most other entries, the pair cantered directly to the first fence, then navigated all inside turns with expert precision. The pair earned a score of 87.5 in the handy round, bringing their overall total to 176.5 for a third place finish.
Provost of Meadow View Farm in Indianapolis, Indiana took a moment to chat with us ringside after the awards presentation, “My horses were great. I thought the courses were really in our favor. They were beautiful. Both of my horses were on their A-game. All In is less green than Hero, I’ve done a lot of derbies on All In and I knew I could walk in and go for it in the handy. It was a great class.”
When asked about her mounts’ personalities, Provost replied, “All In is kind of reserved and Hero has way more of a happy-go-lucky personality.”
Provost also added, “It’s been a long time since I’ve done the Derbies consistently, so this was really fun for me. I used to do Derby Finals every year, but I don’t have one to do that with right now, so this was super exciting for me!”
Open $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
- All In, Tammy Provost – 87 | 91 | 178
- Eleventh Hour, Michael Britt-Leon – 88 | 89 | 177
- Hero, Tammy Provost – 89 | 87.5 | 176.5
- Checkpoint Charlie, Stevie McCarron Wiggley – 91 | 84 | 175
- Norderney, Belynda Bond – 87.75 | 86 | 173.75
- Rascal, Timothy Maddrix – 81 | 88 | 169
- DeNovo, Michael Britt-Leon – 86 | 81 | 167
- Gyimes, Robert Stucky – 84 | 82 | 166
- Playlist, Claudia Wagner Wilson – 82 | 83 | 165
- True Enough, Michael Britt-Leon – 84 | 80 | 164
Non Pro $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
The Non Pro $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby also saw impressive high scores and incredible rounds, but it was Christopher Coberley and Fox Meadow Farm’s No Introduction that earned top marks and took home the lions share of the prize.
First in the order in the Non Pro Derby by Vanessa McCaughley and River Hill Farm’s Centerline (Comme Il Faut x Leni I). Centerline often competes in the Adult Amateur Hunters, preparing him well for this afternoon’s class. McCaughley and the seven year old Westphalian gelding set the standard in the class, earning a first round score of 88.
Coberley and No Introduction took to the course near the middle of the class. The pair were fresh off a third place finish in last week’s Non Pro $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby and were prepared to give it their all this afternoon. Coberley and the eleven year old Warmblood gelding were hot on McCaughley’s trail, earning a first round score of 87.
Grace DeFoe also had a lovely first round aboard her own Firestone II (Indoctro x Tifony). The pair often successfully compete in various Equitation and medal classes, which benefited them on this afternoon’s course. DeFoe and Firestone II impressed the judges in the first round, earning a score of 86.
The top twelve entries returned for the handy round and DeFoe and Firestone II were first of the top contenders to contest the course. The pair chose the inside turns to fences three and five, earning a second score of 86 for a total of 172, placing them atop the scoreboard.
Coberley and No Introduction returned soon after, choosing the same inside track but also navigating a handy turn to fence six. The pair’s combination of handy turns and brilliant forward pace were rewarded with a score of 92 for an overall total of 179, moving into first place.
Last to return was McCaughley and Centerline. The pair mirrored Coberley’s inside track, riding a fantastic second round for a score of 84.5, which brought their total to 172.5, sliding into second place and moving DeFoe and Firestone II in third place.
We caught up with Coberley who trains with Polly Howard out of Fox Meadow Farm in Temperance, Michigan after the class. When asked about his ride today, Coberley replied, “I thought my horse was amazing and he did everything I told him to do. For the handy round, I did all of the turns that I planned and stuck to them. My horse did them really well.”
Coberley also commented on his horse’s personality, “He’s really kind and sweet. He wants to love on everybody.”
Non Pro $20,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
- No Introduction, Christopher Coberley – 87 | 92 | 179
- Centerline, Vanessa McCaughley – 88 | 84.5 | 172.5
- Firestone II, Grace DeFoe – 86 | 86 | 172
- Visto’s Bespoke, Jacob Harris – 85 | 85 | 170
- Eldato, Keely O’Hara – 86.5 | 83 | 169.5
- Herr Drosselmeyer, Anneliese Kolaska – 80.5 | 82 | 162.5
- Bombay, Erin Ugolini – 80 | 80 | 160
- UFO de Nisi, Leanna Lazzeri – 79.5 | 77 | 156.5
- Geneva, Lea Rucker – 80 | 72 | 152
- Completto, Brittany Roberts – 83.5 | 30 | 132.5
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.