Lizzie Rinehart and Ava Barnes Top $7,500 USHJA National Hunter Derbies at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

Lexington, KY – May 8, 2026 – It was derby day at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show as professional and junior/amateur riders gathered to compete in the $7,500 Open National Hunter Derby and $7,500 Jr/AM National Hunter Derby, presented by All Bizness Insurance, during World Champion Hunter Rider week. Lizzie Rinehart showed the way in the $7,500 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby with Bugatti, while Ava Barnes and Atlas scored the top honors in the $7,500 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby.

“It is really special to win here to today because I’ve been coming to Kentucky since I was really little,” expressed Rinehart after her win. “Showing in the derbies and doing well in them is really fun. Bugatti is really special and I’m really thankful to be able to ride him and ride with his trainer, McKenzie Canard.”

Bobby Murphy designed the courses for Friday’s highlight events in the Stonelea Ring. The welcoming first round allowed riders to showcase their horses’ brilliance over the fences, while the handy course offered more dynamic options with a trot fence, several sharp turns, a gallop to the final oxer towards the gate, and four high options for additional points.

The $7,500 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby got underway first, where Rinehart led from start to finish aboard Charlotte Rossetter’s Bugatti. She scored a 90 in the first round and was able to maintain her lead when she returned for the handy by demonstrating smooth inside turns and a good gallop to the final oxer. They were rewarded with a score of 88 for a two round total of 178. They were just three points ahead of second place finishers Steven Gregorio and Corino, who finished with a total score of 175. The third place award went to Blythe Goguen and In The Stars who scored a 165. At the end of the class, Rinehart returned to the center of the ring to accept the winning honors and lead the lap of honor.

“Bugatti had a really confident first round, so I just wanted to go in and do the same thing again,” noted Rinehart. “He’s pretty handy, so we wanted to do all of the turns and make sure he had another smooth, confident round. I’ve been riding him for about three months now and he is the most fun horse to ride. He is so big, so he can go really slow, but he still makes a really beautiful jump and gets down the lines really well. He knows his job and he’s very good at it!”

The next event in the Stonelea Ring was the $7,500 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby where riders competed over the same courses. Ava Barnes had two stand-out rounds with Atlas, earning an 89 in the first round and a 93 in the handy for a total score of 182. Charlotte Colter and Camelia earned the second-place prize with a score of 172, just narrowly edging out third-place finishers Lizzie Rinehart and Soirée who earned a score of 171.75.

Barnes also placed fourth and fifth in the class with Valentino and Showman, respectively, but balanced going between several horses with ease. “I did a different plan on Atlas than I did on the rest of my horses,” she explained.”I took more of my time going around and wasn’t as handy as because that’s how I know he likes to be ridden – he isn’t one who likes to have tight turns, so I just took my time. He’s such a reliable and dependable horse though, so it helps take some of the nervousness off just knowing that he’ll go out there and just do what he does best.”

As an Ohio native, the Kentucky Horse Shows are always on Barnes’ schedule, and she was happy to be back with trainers David Belford and Chris Payne of New Hope LLC. “It feels really good to be back here,” she concluded. “I love the atmosphere and I think the horses like it so much too. All of the jumps are beautiful and the rings are so nice – it’s just more of a quiet atmosphere compared to some other horse shows. All of the horses really enjoy it and so do I!”

As World Champion Hunter Rider week continues at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Sunday’s highlight event will be the new $1,500 2’6″ Non-Pro Hunter Derby. Riders will also compete for the Hagyard Grand Hunter Champion honors in the Amateur-Owner, Junior, Children’s, Amateur and Pony Hunter divisions.

For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.