Colvin and Dicoblue PS Dominate in $235,550 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 17, 2025—The grand finalé of the $235,550 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship took center stage on Saturday evening in the Rolex Stadium during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Thirty of the best Hunter athletes from all corners of the United States came prepared to showcase their talents and vie for a share of the prize money. In the end, it was Victoria Colvin and Dicoblue PS who defended their early lead to claim the victory, making Colvin the only rider to have won the prestigious title four times on four different horses. Jennifer Hannan and Cellestino were awarded Reserve Champion honors, while John French and Milagro placed third overall.

Colvin was thrilled after her victory, saying, “Dicoblue PS is super special. I've been riding him for a couple of years, and I've done mainly derbies with him, but he's still a little green. He has shown once under lights, but he's not quite used to this atmosphere. I wasn't completely sure what to expect, but he went out there and was amazing. He didn't even bat an eye.”

Course designers Ken Krome and Meghan Rawlins set a challenging 12-obstacle track, that included four high-option fences, one of which was a tall wall, a log bounce, and a final test of a horse shoe where riders could jump any of the three sections in any order and in any direction before a final hand gallop to the last wide oxer.

“It was a difficult course–I felt like I was back to my Equitation days,” laughed Colvin. “There were a lot of unique options, which were super fun, and everybody could take their own route.”

Colvin, of Loxahatchee, Florida, had another factor to think about while she was on course. The rider was injured in the warm-up after falling off another horse and being struck in the ribs. “It was a bit of a fluke accident,” she commented. “Everything is all right–it was a little painful at first, but it's okay now. Dicoblue PS took me around beautifully, and he's an incredible horse, so I give it all to him!”

The judges, who included Abby Blankenship, Jeanne Marie Dunford-Miller, Lynn Forgione, Tammy Provost, Mike Rosser, and Scott Williamson, were so impressed with the duo’s effort in the Handy Round that they were awarded scores of 92, 95, and 96. Adding in all four high options as well as their leading score from the Classic Round, they had a two-round total of 608 and a check for $39,779.68. Colvin joins Hunt Tosh as one of only two riders to win this prestigious event four times, but she is the only one to have done it on four different horses, including in 2017 with Cuba, 2018 with Private Practice, and 2019 with El Primero.

Dicoblue PS is an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by John and Stephanie Ingram that Colvin found in Ocala two years ago. “He was a Jumper, and I went and tried him and loved his feeling,” she explained. “He felt like he could become a really nice Hunter, and then he ended up being an incredible derby horse. Every time he walks in the ring, he wants to win. He has rarely ever put a foot wrong. I think the worst thing is maybe a rub. He is a very talented horse and always wants to do well.”

As Tier I champion, Colvin received an Essex Classics Show Shirt, a gift from Platinum Performance, a cooler from The Clothes Horse, and a gift from Rood & Riddle Pharmacy. The overall Tier I champion rider also received a Herm Sprenger gift certificate, a gift from Human Touch, a medal, a keeper trophy, and was awarded the Beaver River Farm Perpetual Trophy donated by Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw. Dicoblue PS and their owners, John & Stephanie Ingram, LLC, will have their names placed on the Wrenwood Farm Trophy and also received a shadow box from Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths. The winning trainer received a gift from Nutrena and an embroidered jacket. Colvin's groom received an embroidered jacket.

Unlike Colvin and Dicoblue PS, Hannan, of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and Cellestino just began their partnership at the end of last year, thanks to owner Stephanie Bulger. “We just started doing the derbies at the end of Florida, and tonight was his first night class, and really his first big event like this, so we couldn't be more proud of him,” she smiled. “He was on it and really rose to the occasion. I was lucky to go towards the end and be able to watch some other people's tracks and what worked best. The goal of tonight was to do what was best for my horse and myself. I think that worked out well!”

Hannan and Cellestino finished the day with a total score of 597, earning Handy scores of 91, 92, and 93 to maintain their second-place position after Friday's Classic Round, and took home $26,023.56 in prize money.

French reunited with his former 2023 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship-winning mount, Milagro, who is now owned by Zoe Wolf, for a top performance in the Handy Round that earned scores of 90, 93, and 89.5 for a two-round total of 583.5 and the third-place honors. For their efforts, French took home $19,947.64 of the prize money.

“He's been doing the Junior Hunters for the last two years, so I didn't really know what to expect,” admitted the Wellington, Florida, rider. “He hadn't been doing these kinds of classes or jumping these kinds of jumps for a while, but I knew he was good at night, and it didn't take long to get back in the swing of things. It's so nice to be here and ride him out in the field and go up and down and just keep him happy. I did show him in a couple High Performance classes this week, he ended up winning both, so I was like, ‘Okay, he's good!’”

The top 20 riders designed as Tier II, meaning they ranked 41st and lower on the 2024 Rider Money Won list, were eligible for an additional 20 percent of the prize money, totaling $47,110.

This year’s Tier II Champion was fourth-place finisher Michael Britt-León with Mark Dorfman’s Can’t Touch This HS, earning $9,063.96. “I actually wasn't aware I was a Tier II rider until yesterday, so that was kind of exciting,” said Britt-León. “It gives us a chance to get an extra pot and get some more money earned. It's only my second derby on both horses, so that was a little bit nerve-racking on what was going to happen. I knew I had to bring it with Can’t Touch This HS because I really wanted to at least win Tier II. I'm ecstatic about that and proud of the horses, grateful to Mark, and excited to be here!”

As Tier II champion, Britt-León received a pair of Parlanti International Tall Boots, an Essex Classic Show Shirt, a gift from Platinum Performance, a cooler from The Clothes Horse, a Herm Sprenger gift certificate, and a gift from Rood & Riddle Pharmacy.

Earlier in the day, horse-and-rider combinations that did not make it into the Championship's Handy Round could compete in the $10,000 Derby Challenge. Daniel Geitner and Walk The Moon, owned by Lynn Seithel, topped the class, collecting a total of $3,000.

Additional awards were also presented throughout the evening.

Rider Style Award: Hannah Isop
Alberto Ramirez International Derby Groom’s Award: Raul Mara, groom of both Aeronautic and Walk The Moon, ridden by Daniel Geitner and owned by Martin Schlaeppi and Lynn Seithel, respectively
Top Amateur Owner rider: Savannah Embly, on her own Fine Line with a score of 224 in the Classic Round
Top Junior Owner and Rider: Aline Ludemann, riding her own Didi Blue to a score of 202.5 in the Classic Round

The USHJA thanks the sponsors who helped to make these championships possible, including Title Sponsor Platinum Performance and Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, and Parlanti International. Thanks also go to Official Broadcast Provider ClipMyHorse.TV; Championship Official Sponsor Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and Pharmacy; Supporting Sponsors Essex Classics, RingSide Pro, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Human Touch, Horseflight, and Equidae Insurance; Award Sponsor Equine Equipment; Challenge Round Supporters Ken and Ceil Wheeler; Exhibitors’ Party Supporters John Ingram and Laura Karat; Rider Bonus Awards Supporters Ron Danta, Danny Robershaw, and Susan Schoellkopf/ SBS Farms; and Bonus Award Donors Oakwell Farms, DS Holdings, LLC, Colleen McQuay, and Patrick Rodes.

The USHJA also thanks Show Manager Hugh Kincannon and the entire Kentucky Horse Shows team for their assistance with the Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Championship Week.

Wall-to-wall live streaming coverage is available at no additional cost to members at ClipMyHorse.TV. Additional coverage will be available in the upcoming issue of In Stride.

For more information about the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships, visit ushja.org/GreenChampionship. For online results, visit ushja.org/competition/hunter-week-championships.

Edited press release with Cavaletti Consulting, LLC

Photos: Winslow Photography

Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship Results

Horse | Owner | Rider | Score