In case the riders got lost on course tonight,
one of the jumps actually incorporated
the course map!

With two successful years under their belts, The USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals came to a close tonight with grace and elegance. I wish everyone could have been there to see it. There was a certain feel to last year’s event, and all of us present knew it was history in the making. This year’s event was vastly different but still something to be in awe of and definitely no less successful. The evening started with an introduction of the top 25 riders including the five that will be riding in the Hunter Derby demos during the World Equestrian Games. What a huge win being able to showcase this sport at this level to the entire world. I am sure those riders are honored and thrilled to be able to share the Hunter Derby format with the world.

Seriously...is this what you were doing
when you were 12?

Another amazing course presented itself to the riders tonight. The detail was beyond describable. It actually reminded me a lot of last year’s round 2 and 3 courses. It was truly a work of art. The classic round included 12 jumping efforts, and the handy round included nine jumping efforts consisting of hedges, a giant circle of hay bales, a massive arch and a gazebo (not to be jumped, just for looks and atmosphere). I have to also comment on the fact that two amazing young women were amongst this talented group of 25 tonight. It’s hard to imagine a 12- and 13-year-old being so polished and being put up against this kind of competition. Both did amazingly well, and one did make it to the final round. What a huge accomplishment! I hope they are both thrilled with themselves tonight and doing something fun to celebrate their skill.

Ahhh, the victory gallop

The handy round was another fun round with a quicker pace than the first round this evening. The course included a trot fence, a hand gallop to the last fence and an option at jump #3 and #4 that was actually the same fence with a few options of where to jump it, then a roll-back to the same fence where you could again choose an option of where to jump it as jump #4. You could tell the course designers had to be clever in a smaller space this year, but they were obviously up for the challenge.

In the end, it was not the gray as I predicted. “Summer” came in a very respectable second, while Lone Star and Hunt Tosh took the honors. Unfortunately, owner Dr. Betsee Parker was unable to make the event but is undoubtedly proud of her horse’s accomplishments. This year’s winning horse goes by the barn name “Kid” and is a 10-year-old bay gelding. He has a sweet temperament and loves treats, especially peppermints. Kid competed in only two competitions this season and won just $3,600. I have a feeling his winnings tonight will buy him quite a few peppermints.

Even though the first round of this year’s Hunter Derby Finals concluded at lunch time, the festivities continued throughout the afternoon and evening. The new USHJA headquarters building at the Horse Park was all abuzz. Many may remember that during this event last year USHJA held a groundbreaking ceremony and offered tours of the building.

The building was up and gorgeous at the time, but the staff had not moved in yet and it was entirely completed. This year guests we treated to a full building that included a working museum, amazing art work displayed on the walls on loan from a local gallery, etc., etc. The official ribbon-cutting was also held this evening just before the draw. It’s been a long time coming, and I know those that were present—competitors, donors, owners, and more—were impressed with USHJA’s new home.

The draw party was another opportunity for everyone to get together in a relaxed environment and enjoy that fact that these select 25 have made it this far. The list has changed slightly since the competition ended this afternoon. Extraordinary had to scratch which meant that the #26-ranked horse, Posse, is now back in the competition. The first to go in tomorrow’s order in the Classic Round will be Rock Star and Louise Serio, one of her two mounts for this next round.

Another part of the festivities was a fundraiser to help benefit the USHJA Foundation. The top 25 horse-and-rider combinations were broken into Calcutta teams and auctioned off. Half of the money that was raised in bids will go toward the Foundation. The rest will go to whoever bid on the team that includes the winner. It was all business and strategy as the bids got quite competitive.

By now the top 25 horses are tucked in and surely nibbling on some hay, getting ready to strut their stuff tomorrow. The lucky 12 will move on to the Handy Round which will no doubt be an impressive course with lots of tests. Sleep well Derby horses, and don’t forget to bring your “A” game tomorrow. The slate is wiped clean starting with the Classic Round.

Summer Place checks out the basket he won for any stray carrots

So no one is happier than me to see gray horses do well. I am a gray fanatic. Last year as we all know, Rumba dominated the Finals, and he is a striking gray. Today, another handsome gray took the top spot in the first round of the Hunter Derby Finals. This time it was Summer Place and Scott Stewart. This 8-year-old won $10k this season in just two competitions. Could he be our next winner…possibly, based on his stellar performance today which earned the pair the high score of 377. I knew I was happy yesterday when I watched the jog, and it seemed like there were tons of gray horses. I just counted, and 11 started this Finals. However, only four have made it through to tomorrow’s Classic Round. The top 25 will square off at 630 which will be quite exciting after today’s round. You know by now how I love numbers and statistics so I ran a few for you. Of the top 25 that’ll go tomorrow, three are owner/riders, four will have two mounts, and three will have three mounts. Sorry I went into geek mode for a minute there, but I thought you’d like to know that.

Today’s course was impressive. There were some naysayers about this year’s Finals being in the impressive new indoor arena (you know who you are), but throughout the morning I heard nothing but praise. The course designers did a fantastic job of making the course look like you were outdoors according to the riders. The jumps were impressive, and the intricate details were noticeable. One such jump was number eight. The course designers used covers from past issues of The Chronicle of the Horse (this year’s title sponsor) to wrap around the rails. It was quite something. Interestingly enough this jump saw the most rubs, by far. I had to laugh to myself, because it almost seemed like the horses must be taking the time to try to read the covers on each rail as they were going over it...maybe they even saw themselves on a cover.

This jump had the most hard rubs, maybe
because the horses were catching up on their reading?

Another thing about the course was how many jumps were used more than once, in both directions, or all parts of the jump were used. Jump #9 and #13 were the same jump in different directions. Jump #10 and #12 were the same jump in different directions. And, jump #4 and #14 were the same jump with two different height options while the middle of the two options was jump #1. I would have never thought to do that, but I guess that’s why I’m blogging and not designing high-level courses (or any for that matter). Most everyone took the high option at the hedge (fence #9 and #13), and just a few took the high option at fence #4 and #14 which was an oxer.

Today's top three finishers at the press conference:
Liza Boyd, Scott Stewart and Jen Alfano

I think there was only one refusal this year, one almost refusal (if there is such a thing—you know what I mean), one rail down, one looky Lou (at least from my vantage point), and one rider who fell off (sadly after the last fence). Sorry I am going into numbers mode again. There were just a few ties, which in this event are broken by the first team of judges. This year that tie-breaking team consisted of George Morris and Chrystine Tauber. It was interesting to see the ranges in some of the scores, but of course that makes sense considering each of the four teams of judges has a different vantage point. It certainly seems to make the competition more fair.

Who will end up victorious remains to be seen. I am not a betting woman, and I am not going to start now. It could be anyone’s game, but I might just be secretly hoping for another gray victory…

"Crown", one of John French's two mounts
this year, had his eye on the
competition during the jog.

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since we witnessed the inaugural International Hunter Derby Finals. Last year’s event was such a huge success, and I have to admit I’ve been a little worried about how we were going to top it. The jog was held today in the new indoor arena which is where the competition will be held this year, adding an interesting element to the Derby Finals. I, myself, think it will be intriguing to watch some of the horses that are here for their second year to see if they go any differently in the indoor than they did last year.

Jogs are always fun to watch no matter what the discipline, but I have to admit that the top Hunter horses in the world don’t seem to be clear on the function of a jog. The horses were happy to go along with it, but all of them had looks on their face like “What is the point of this? Point us at some interesting jumps, and let’s get this show on the road.” It’s refreshing to see horses at this level that need encouragement to jog. I like a horse that is easy to handle and good in-hand. The Rolex jog is always electric—sometimes a bit too much so—so this really was a nice change of pace.

Jersey Boy's groom Erin McMurray poses with
Bill Moroney

After the jog everyone got together for a bite to eat and a quick riders meeting. The atmosphere was a bit like a family holiday. There were lots of hugs, people catching up, etc. It’s obvious everyone is happy to be here and anxious to see what this second annual event will bring. In just 48 hours or so we’ll be crowning a new winner. It’s up for grabs for any one of 61 horse-and-rider combinations. It could be the one stallion who takes it, or one of the three mares, or the youngest rider at the age of 12, or the oldest horse at the age of 15, or the youngest horse at the age of 6 (notice I am very wisely not including the oldest rider and their age!)

Twenty riders will have just one mount in the competition. Nine riders will attempt it with two mounts. Four will try on three mounts. One will go for it with five different horses, and one rider will see what they can do with a total of six mounts.

Last year’s champ, John French, has two mounts in the competition, neither of which is last year’s winner. Jennifer Alfano is back with three mounts including Jersey Boy who again earned the award this evening for being series champion this year with 24,900 points. She was awarded the George H. Morris Perpetual Trophy tonight to honor this accomplishment. Her groom, Erin, was also recognized.

This is what a Derby course looks like as the
pieces are getting assembled.

Tomorrow’s event will begin at 8 a.m. with one of the competition’s youngest rider, 13-year-old Lillie Keenan, on one of her two mounts—Valedictorian. I am going to be there extra early (ick) to walk to course and get some interesting photos of strategies unfolding as riders walk the course and wrap their heads around it. The course designers were putting together their complex masterpiece as we were having dinner. It looked like a field of props which required dozens of people and multiple machines to put together. I felt like I was cheating somehow by watching it all get assembled. I am sure I am not the only one anxious to see it tomorrow morning in its pristine condition before the horses attempt this new challenge.