Wilmington, Ohio – Hunter athletes returned to the R+L Arena Friday afternoon at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington for the first derby day of 2024. Anna Schierholz headlined the day as she took the win in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby aboard Sloane Silberman’s Star Struck (Bisquet Balou VD Mispelaere x Espoir D’api).
Schierholz was pleased with her start to the winter series and is thrilled with the newest addition to her Clouds End Farm.
“This is a new horse to us. He is owned by Sloane Silberman and she is hoping to move up through the ranks and do the junior hunters. He is still a young horse and has such a bright future ahead of him. He is extremely good-natured. He is a good boy every day of the week. This is the first time I have really shown him. Sloane has shown him a bit, but this is the first time I have gotten to do something on him in the professional ring.”
The 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding was foot-perfect in the first round for a high score of 91, putting the duo in the lead coming back for the handy.
The first-round track suited Schierholz’s style, “I really liked that there were a lot of options and some places to go forward. I love to gallop so I was happy to see an indoor course that had so many options to open up. It is always great here at WEC. The jumps are always amazing.”
Star Struck lived up to his name in the handy phase, impressing the judges for a 94 and an overall score of 185 to take home the win.
Owner Sloane Silberman shared about Star Struck, “He has a few nicknames. A favorite of mine is Onion! His barn name is Oryan. We say he has a lot of layers to him, so that is how we came up with Onion. It was fun to watch him win today!”
$15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Star Struck, Anna Schierholz, Sloane Silberman | 91 | 94 | 185
2 Corallo Z, Matthew Piccolo, Arrow Hill Farm LLC | 88 | 89 | 177
3 Corlando 49, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 82 | 92 | 174
4 Might Especiale, Sam Pegg, Asta Torokvei | 84 | 86 | 170
5 Casino, Philippe Lacasse, Michelle Sharp | 81 | 81.5 | 162.5
6 Rio Ruisseau, Ellen Jennings, Ellen Jennings | 79 | 77 | 156
7 Going Global, Lauren Capinegro, Christina Metrose | 78 | 75 | 153
8 Q, Kristen Cook, Kristen Cook | 75 | 74 | 149
9 R Du Sol, Devin Milan, Devin Milan | 45 | 83 | 128
10 Honey Tree’s Raphael, Sarah Oelerich, Sarah Oelerich | 65 | 59 | 124
Alisa Berry & On Point are Back on Top in the $15,000 Premier Equestrian USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
Alisa Berry returned to World Equestrian Center – Wilmington right where she left off with her own On Point (Cola Zero x Lolita) to claim their second win of the 2024 Winter in the Midwest Series in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby sponsored by Premier Equestrian.
Berry maintained the highest score throughout the entirety of the class as the first to go in the posted order, immediately laying down a high score of 89.
The tracks set by Joe Carnicom (USA) asked technical questions of the horses and riders, though Berry’s mount handled it all with ease.
“This course was different today, but it rode really nicely. I thought he was great. He was a little bit star struck with the first jump going away, but he stayed with me and was really good. A year ago, I don’t know that he would have handled that quite as well, but he is really growing up. The turn from three to four was surprisingly tight, so I held him out to get the lead change and got straight for the two-stride and it was all good.”
Berry is pleased with the progress of her stylish nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding over the past year and discussed his personality in the ring, “He really wants you to be soft and to tell him he is a good boy. Some respond better when you draw the line in the sand, but he really doesn’t. He just wants that confidence. Even if you are wrong, it doesn’t matter as long as you tell him he is a good boy, he just keeps striving to do the right thing. We always try to put him in the right place at the right time and keep reiterating what we want in a really positive way.”
Returning as the final entry to contest the handy track, Berry jumped to a score of 86 for a two-round total of 175 for the win.
$15,000 Premier Equestrian USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1 On Point, Alisa Berry, Alisa Berry | 89 | 86 | 175
2 Prosper, Caroline Smith, Caroline Smith | 87.5 | 85 | 172.5
3 Pool Boy, Madeline Brooks, Arrow Hill Farm LLC | 87 | 84 | 171
4 Cinda, Elizabeth Becker, Elizabeth Becker | 84 | 81 | 165
5 Qua-Z, Rosemary Rail, Maria Kneipp | 84 | 78 | 162
6 Consulado, Hannah Wiggins, Hannah Wiggins | 79 | 82 | 161
7 Bellino Du Beussent, Mila Houde, Mila Houde | 76 | 84 | 160
8 Cassiopeia, Lindsay Birnbrich, Lindsay Birnbrich | 80 | 79 | 159
9 Grenadier Top, Olivia Wiatr, Olivia Wiatr | 74 | 76 | 150
10 Carino, Annie Irwin, DE Show Stables | 77 | 72 | 149
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 wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.