Lexington, KY. – August 15, 2025 – The annual Platinum Performance / USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship returned to the Rolex Stadium on Friday afternoon during the Bluegrass Classic Horse Show. Eighty elite horse and rider combinations gathered for the championship event to vie for a spot in the top 30 to advance to Saturday’s Tier One Handy Round. At the end of the day, Victoria Colvin & Dicoblue PS topped the field with a score of 299 with three scores in the mid-90s before adding in all four high options. She was followed by Jennifer Hannan and Cellestino, who were awarded a score of 294. Rounding out the top three were last year’s winners of the classic round, Amanda Steege and Lafitte De Muze, who earned a score of 290.75.
“He is an incredible horse,” expressed Colvin after her win. “I’ve been showing him for the last couple of years and every time he goes in the ring, he always performs – he’s a gem to be able to ride.”
After the morning’s Green Hunter Incentive Championship, course designers Ken Krome and Meghan Rawlins reset the ring for the afternoon’s International Hunter Derby competitors. With 13 jumping efforts and four high option fences that flowed through the expansive Rolex Arena, the course was set for the judges Abby Blankenship, Jeanne Marie Dunford-Miller, Lynn Forgione, Tammy Provost, Mike Rosser, and Scott Williamson to sort the 80 competitors and determine the top 30 to return for Saturday’s Handy Round.
Entering the ring 42nd, Dicoblue PS and Colvin, of Loxahatchee, Florida, took the lead midway through the class and set a very high standard. “It was a long course, but every jump he jumped a bit higher, which is a little unusual. He felt great, and he didn’t feel like he really got tired, so that was good. He’s normally quite good in the handy. I think Ocala was his first night class, so this would be a second, but knock on wood he will be great!”
Victoria Colvin & Dicoblue PS
Dicoblue PS is an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding that Colvin began riding during the winter season of 2024, but was recently purchased by John and Stephanie Ingram, and she was thrilled to be able to ride him again at this year’s championship. Earlier in the week, the duo claimed the second-place prize in the Platinum Performance USHJA 3’6″/3’9″ Green Hunter Incentive Championship.
“I’m very grateful to John and Stephanie for letting me ride him here,” she explained. “I know him really well. He is a super, super sweet animal and he always loves to go in and compete. It was nice to be able to get back on him and show him in a bigger venue on Tuesday before this Derby Final.
Hannan, of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, aboard Stephanie Bulger’s Cellestino also had a standout performance to earn a top spot ahead of the final handy round. “I was honestly really happy with my round,” she noted. “I was able to really gallop the whole round from start to finish, and that was my goal. Everything really came out of stride, so I’m pretty pleased!”
Jennifer Hannan & Cellestino
Rounding out the top three was Ocala, Florida’s Amanda Steege aboard Cheryl Olsten’s Lafitte De Muze, who is excited for Saturday’s handy round. “I’m really looking forward to it,” she expressed. “Lafitte is excellent in the handy. This class, historically, has a lot of changes during tomorrow night’s event. It’s not normal that our horses just walk in for a night class and do the handy. I’m really excited that I’m doing that on a horse that has a lot of experience. He felt amazing today and I honestly think it was one of the best rounds of his career.”
Amanda Steege & Lafitte De Muze
The sixteenth annual Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship will conclude on Saturday, August 16, with the thrilling Handy Hunter Rounds. The top 30 horses from the Classic Round will return to tackle a shortened, technical course and vie for 80 percent of the prize money.
Also returning are the top 20 Tier II horse-and-rider combinations—those riders ranked 41st or lower on the 2024 Rider Money Won list—who will compete for the Tier II Championship title. If a Tier II rider qualifies for the Tier I Handy Round, their horse will only jump once, but they will be eligible to earn prize money in both Tier I and Tier II. Currently leading the Tier II standings and sitting tenth overall is Michael Britt-León aboard Can’t Touch This HS, owned by Mark Dorfman.
To learn more about the Bluegrass Classic and the Kentucky Horse Shows please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.