Wilmington, OH – Hunter Derby Friday stole the spotlight once again at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington, as a field jaw-dropping hunters gathered at the Main Hunter Arena to vie for the top prize in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby during Spring II. Bobby Murphy (USA) laid the beautiful derby tracks, featuring skinny hedges and a winding wall that allowed athletes to show off their horses’ prowess. At the end of the day, Tamara Provost piloted Angela Pietig Brown’s Mariner (Viscount x Escada) to his first derby win.
Out of a field of 18 talented horse-and-rider combinations, Provost and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding stood out, earning a top score of 87 in the first round, outpacing the second-place pair by five points.
“I actually changed my plan for the second round. Originally, I was planning on jumping all the high options, like we did in the first round, but I was going in with a five-point lead. So, I decided to be safe and jump the low options, so I didn’t risk a rail,” Provost explained about her strategic adjustment.
Provost’s revised strategy paid off, as she and Mariner delivered another impressive performance, earning a score of 86 and securing a combined total of 173 for the win.
“This was [Mariner’s] second derby ever. He is still very green at it, but I couldn’t be prouder of him,” she said. “It was a very challenging derby, and he isn’t the bravest horse, so it was a great experience for him.”
“I entered this class to further develop him for his owner [Angela Pietig Brown], who competes in the adult amateurs. The more experience he gains, the better he will be for her and maybe one day she’ll want to compete in the derbies with him!”
Izzy Beisel claimed second place aboard Harlow Investment Enterprises, LLC’s 13-year-old Westphalian gelding, Caius (Camax L x Cuba Libre), achieving a first-round score of 81.5 and a high handy score of 88 for a two-round total of 169.5.
Julia Rice and her own Barnette (Jamal VD Heffinck x Camila De Wulf Selection) took third place honors. Rice and the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding earned consistent scores of 82 in both rounds, resulting in an overall score of 164.
$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Mariner, Tamara Provost, Angela Pietig Brown: 87 | 86 | 173
2 Caius, Izzy Beisel, Harlow Investment Enterprises, LLC: 81.5 | 88 | 169.5
3 Barnette, Julia Rice, Julia Rice: 82 | 82 | 164
4 Fineas, Jessica Jurkowitz, Clover Hill Farm: 78 | 83 | 161
5 Synchronicity, Alison Roper, Roper Farms LLC: 79 | 77 | 156
6 Castellan W, Hadley Hoeft, Hadley Hoeft: 71 | 78 | 149
7 Kingston Blue, Luke Rinehart, Clair Rockacy: 68 | 77 | 145
8 Kiawah, Sarah Meier, Sarah Meier: 61 | 83 | 144
9 Campari, Marie Lafond, Marie Lafond: 73 | 70 | 143
10 Quint Van De Litzemaeref, Luke Rinehart, Stefano Baruzzo LLC: 81 | 49 | 130
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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.