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Tori Colvin and Private Practice Pursue Perfection in the $289,730 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship

by Edited Press Release from the United States Hunter Jumper Association | Aug 20, 2018, 10:44 AM

Lexington, Ky. – Under the lights of Rolex Stadium, defending champion of the Platinum Performance/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby Championship Tori Colvin (Loxahatchee, Fla.) was the 2018 champion and achieved an impressive 16.5-point victory over her peers to capture the $289,730 prize. Aboard Private Practice, Brad Wolf’s eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Colvin earned near-perfect base scores of 96.00, 95.00, and 96.00 and earned 28 of the 30 available handy bonus points for a total score of 606.00 and the win.

"Tori's horse jumped every fence exactly the same. She never changed pace, and that separated her. There's no question," said judge Carleton Brooks (Encinitas, Calif.). "Tori never missed a lick from the moment she walked in the ring. It was the Tori Colvin we all know and love right there."

Colvin, known for rarely walking courses, admitted she did step foot in the Rolex Stadium before the Handy Hunter Round on Saturday, August 18. "I went in the ring. I glanced today, but there really wasn't anything to walk," she said laughing. "But, I went in there."

"Yesterday, [Private Practice] was really good," said Colvin. "He hasn't been in this ring, and so he was a little greener [yesterday] than he was today. Today he stepped in and was fantastic and jumped everything and every jump as a 20, and he jumped out of his skin. He really rose to the occasion."

Wolf was equally impressed. "I've had some pretty nice horses, but I've never seen a horse jump like that," he said. "I want to thank Tom Wright and the Ingrams. It's because of them that we're here. John [Ingram] has the best team behind him. It's been nice to come along with him, and it's because of this team that we're here."

Tori Colvin and Private Practice, 2018 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Champions (Shawn McMillen Photography)

Holly Shepherd (Grand Bay, Ala.) was in the lead going into Handy after a tremendous Classic Hunter Round on Friday, August 17. Though it was first-time championship contender Dorothy "Dorrie" Douglas (West Bridgewater, Mass.), aboard MTM One Time, MTM Farm’s seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding, who set the pace for what was to become the most competitive International Hunter Derby Championship in its 10-year history.

Douglas and MTM One Time went 13th in the Section A order. She received all 30 bonus points and posted scores of 93.00, 88.00, and 91.00 to take over the early lead with 580.00 points. That score would ultimately carry her to sixth overall in Section A and first in Section B, which allows riders who are newer to the Derby system opportunity to earn additional prize money. Douglas earned more than $24,000.

"It's taken 10 years to get where we are, and today's class to me was the hardest," said Ron Danta, chair of the USHJA International Hunter Derby and Incentive Task Force. "You set the pace, Dorrie, with 10, 10, [and] 10 in the Handy. And I mean everybody rose to the occasion, and it was a phenomenal class. The exciting thing is owners want to own Derby horses and Green Incentive horses. The hunters were dying for a long time and I think it's what we've needed, and I'm very proud of it."

Three-time winner Liza Boyd (Camden, S.C.) rode Clemens, Finally Farm and Westerly Farm’s eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding, to a second-place finish. They earned base scores of 91.00, 92.00, and 89.00 and 29 bonus points for a total score of 589.00. Clemens and Boyd were also presented with this year's Shapley's Best Turned Out Award.

Boyd returned to the ring with Tradition, Maggie Hill’s eight-year-old Westphalian gelding, where they finished third on base scores of 91.00, 92.00, and 89.00 and 29 bonus points for a total score 584.75.

Complete Results

Since 2008, the USHJA International Hunter Derby Program has paid out more than $12.3 million. As the championship celebrated its 10th year, 279 horses were enrolled in the program from more than 32 states and Canada. The 2018 championship featured $289,730 in prize money, with $231,784 paid out to Section A competitors and $57,946 paid out to Section B competitors.

The competition was held in Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park and featured a beautiful Handy Hunter course designed by Alan Lohman (Poolesville, Md.) and Danny Moore (Spring Hill, Fla.). Brooks, Holly Orlando (Wellington, Fla.), Bobbie Reber (Langley, British Columbia), Chance Arakelian (New Canaan, Conn.), Chris Wynne (Virginia Beach, Va.), and Shane George (Magnolia, Texas) served as judges for the championship.

The overall feeling of the course was to simulate cantering through hunt country, with natural jumps of planks and logs. The fence heights ranged from 3'6" to 4' and offered riders an opportunity to pick up bonus points by taking any one or all of the four option fences. The course featured several areas where riders could show off their handiness with tight turns and rollbacks. Four high options were offered at 4'3" and 4'6", in addition to a trot fence at fence 7.

The top 25 pairs from Friday's Classic Hunter Round returned in the Section A Handy Hunter Round, with 13 horses shown by Tier I riders and 12 horses shown by Tier II riders.

The Section B Handy Hunter Round included a field of 21 pairs, with nine jumping for Section B money only. The scores for the 12 Tier II riders in the Section A Handy Hunter Round carried over to the Section B Handy Hunter Round and overall standings.

Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell (New York, N.Y.) won the top Junior-Owner Rider Award aboard Early Winter, her 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding.

Kelley Corrigan (Lexington, Ky.) won the top Amateur-Owner Rider Award with Privateer, her 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding.

Jacob Pope (Columbia, Md.) received this year's Rider Style Award.

The $10,000 Derby Challenge, presented by USHJA, allows those who didn't qualify for the Section A or Section B Handy Hunter Rounds to return with a clean slate and attracted 40 competitors this year. Tracy Fenney (Flower Mound, Texas) and MTM Silver Alert, MTM Farm’s 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, won the Challenge and took home $3,000.

EQSportsNet is offering on-demand videos from this year's Derby Championship. USHJA members receive a 50 percent discount on their monthly EQSportsNet subscription using code USHJA2018. Please visit eqsports.net for more information.

For full coverage, please look for the September print issue of USHJA In Stride. For more information about the 2018 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, visit www.ushja.org/IHDChampionship.

The United States Hunter Jumper Association is a recognized affiliate of US Equestrian. Keep up with Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Week by following USHJA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Visit the Learning Center to find out more about the hunter discipline. See an Introduction to Show Hunters with Geoff Teall and watch Hunters: A Winning Round with Danny Robertshaw to learn what makes a winning hunter round by analyzing footage from these championships.

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