Sunday competition at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show highlighted top hunter horses in the Stonelea Ring with the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Dietrich Equine Insurance, and the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows, to conclude the week’s competition. Havens Schatt and Spectacular claimed the international derby win while Jeff Gogul preserved his title as the national hunter derby champion.
The week’s featured hunter competition, the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, set by Jasen Shelley, saw 19 entries test the classic round. The top 12 combinations returned for the second round in reverse order, allowing riders to showcase their horse’s handiness with multiple opportunities for tight rollbacks, ending with a trot fence towards the ingate.
Schatt returned to the handy round with the top two scores of 184 and 183 on Mostly Sunny and Spectacular, respectively. With two mounts in the handy round, Schatt elected to move SHP Barn LLC’s 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Spectacular, up in the order-of-go, returning eighth instead of their slotted spot of eleventh. Taking all four high options in addition to eight handy points from judge one and nine handy points from judge two, Schatt and Spectacular earned a second-round score of 200 to set an unbeatable combined total of 383.
Kelley Farmer contested Sunday’s international derby aboard four different mounts, with three returning for the handy round positioned in the third, fifth and seventh positions. Her leading mount As Quoted, owned by David Glefke, returned to the second round of competition in third place with a first round score of 179.5. Farmer and the 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, rode to all four high options and matching handy round points of eight from each judge for a 197 in the second round. The pair’s two-round total of 376.5 would earn them the reserve champion award.
Jennifer Alfano and her own Capriati moved up from their fourth-place position ahead of the handy round to capture the third place honors with a total of 376. Alfano and the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding entered the handy round with a first round score of 177.5 and navigated all four high options with a total of 17 handy points capture a second round score 198.5 of and slide in only half of a point behind Farmer and As Quoted.
Schatt concluded a successful afternoon with the fifth place award aboard Caroline Moran’s Mostly Sunny in addition to top placings in the earlier $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. Farmer and David Glefke’s Worthy finished the day in fourth place while she also claimed a seventh place finish with Closing Statement, owned by David Glefke and Aizlynn Radwanski.
Preceding Sunday’s international derby, the Stonelea Ring saw 25 horse-and-rider combinations contest the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows, where Jeff Gogul defended his title to once again claimed the victory, this time aboard Counselor. Gogul rode to the same victory at the 2018 Kentucky Spring Horse Show aboard Quite Ruffy.
Jeff Gogul and Counselor
Jeff Gogul and Counselor
Sunday’s feature class is part of an 15-event USHJA National Hunter Derby series collaboration sponsored by the World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows that includes $10,000 in rider bonuses to be awarded at the World Equestrian Invitational in October.
Competition at the Kentucky Horse Park will resume on Wednesday, May 15, with the start of the Kentucky Spring Classic. Hunter competition will resume in the Stonelea Ring at 7:30 a.m. with the Green Conformation Hunter model class and the week will highlight the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows as the second event in the 2019 series on Sunday, May 19. In addition, jumper highlights will include the $134,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3*, and the $15,000 Under 25 Grand Prix.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Havens Schatt – $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby winner
On the international derby:
“The two horses that I did this afternoon in the international derby, [Mostly Sunny and Spectacular] are the experienced derby horses. Mostly Sunny has been doing it for three or four years and that’s pretty much all that he does. Caroline Moran bought him at the end of Florida and she did a little bit of the amateur-owner division with him, but she’s not showing this summer so that’s what he’ll do. I brought him here just to give him something to do because that’s the only class that he did. Spectacular is for sale so we’ve just been campaigning him. I think this is the sixth derby I’ve done and the third one that he’s won so he’s pretty consistent. He usually goes in and always tries to come home with a blue ribbon. These two horses are pretty seasoned.”
On the national derby:
“This year in Florida I did quite a bit of derbies. The two horses that I do in the national derbies, [Salt Creek and Happy Thoughts], are not eligible pre-green anymore, but I didn’t think they were quite ready to step up and do the 3’6” – they just needed another year to get experience and more confidence. We did the derbies at Deeridge and the two at [the Winter Equestrian Festival] and they did really well, so that has been our plan. Luckily they have these national derbies at every single show and since we live [in Kentucky] we are always here, so that will be the plan for the two national derby horses. The [bonus] would be nice, but I am mostly hoping to get these horses experience.”
On the handy round with Spectacular:
“He’s pretty handy, but he’s always a pretty exuberant jumper that sometimes the turning is a little bit hard because it takes me a stride or two to recover after the jump. When I walked the course I was a little concerned when they moved the high option at fence 3 to the inside and it was quite wide. The second to last jump was inside, but it wasn’t as wide. He felt really good in the schooling area so I figured we would go down trying.”
On the handy round with Mostly Sunny:
“Mostly Sunny was leading and he was great in the first round and I let him down. He is like my child and he’s my favorite horse ever. I decided to jump the smaller oxer because he just hasn’t shown a lot and I was just doing it for experience and then I messed up the next jump.”
On Kentucky Horse Shows:
“We have a farm here in Georgetown and we will be showing here during the summer. I might try to do some junior hunters with Spectacular.”
Jeff Gogul – $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby winner
On the Counselor:
“This must be a lucky class for us! I really liked the course and I was able to relax and let the horse canter along. He is a really fun and brave jumper. For me, I really liked the wall. It was a chance to show off and he really jumped that beautifully. He has done a handful of these derbies and one international derby in Florida. He is still a little bit green but we’re just gaining mileage and hoping that he can be moving up.”
On the course:
“The course really suited my horse. The inside option after the vertical was a difficult choice. It rode a little long for me the first round. We were trying to decide if we were going to push for eight strides and do the inside line or maybe a wide nine. That was the only place we were questioning the plan for the handy round. I met the two stride a little bit earlier so I could stay more direct to get the eight stride comfortable. He turns beautifully to the ride. If I just land and relax he is really good at relaxing underneath me.”
On Kentucky Horse Shows:
“We will be showing here next week and will be here for the rest of the summer and I always love coming here.”
RESULTS
$10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Score / R2 Score / Total
1. Spectacular / Havens Schatt / 183 / 200 / 383
2. As Quoted / Kelley Farmer / 179.5 / 197 / 376.5
3. Capriati / Jennifer Alfano / 177.5 / 198.5 / 376
4. Worthy / Kelley Farmer / 167 / 196 / 363.00
5. Mostly Sunny / Havens Schatt / 184 / 177 / 361
6. Olympic Fire / Jennifer Hannan / 173 / 183 / 356.00
7. Closing Statement / Kelley Farmer / 176 / 173 / 349
8. Symbolic / Bella Kay / 161.5 / 187 / 348.5
9. Style / Tim Goguen / 160 / 188 / 348
10. Queen of Diamonds / Virginia Bonnie / 163 / 173 / 336
11. Cayman / Renee Lenkart / 152 / 177 / 329
12. Inclusion / Kelli Cruciotti / 150 / 83 / 233
$5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Score / R2 Score / Total
1. Counselor / Jeff Gogul / 91 / 89.5 / 180.5
2. Salt Creek / Havens Schatt / 90 / 90 / 180
3. Rainier / Michael Murphy / 88 / 89 / 177
4. Monterrey / Kelli Cruciotti / 87 / 88 / 175
5. Happy Thoughts / Havens Schatt / 92 / 81 / 173.00
6. Aiden / John Yozell / 82 / 84 / 166
7. Screen Shot / Ryan Sassmannshausen / 80 / 85 / 165
8. Honor / Ashleen Lee / 78 / 85 / 163
9. Silver Lining / Bridget Finnerty / 78.5 / 79 / 157.5
10. Kingston Lane / Katie Rankin / 86 / 68 / 154
11. Gotcha / Jennifer Hannan / 79.5 / 69 / 148.5
12. Enzo W / Jennifer Alfano / 83 / 49 / 132