The wins started coming in May and haven’t slowed down for Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) and Cornwall BH. To end opening week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) on Sunday afternoon, the pair sped to the win in the $138,600 Meijer CSI3* Grand Prix.
“I’ve had him since he was eight years old and he’s always been a great horse,” Derbyshire said of the 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Con Air x Cambridge) owned by Gochman Sport Horses LLC. “For some reason, in the last six months we’ve gotten fast. The pair has won two grand prix qualifiers in the past two months and capped off the week with the horse’s first grand prix victory.
One of nine to jump clear over Catsy Cruz’s (MEX) first-round course, Derbyshire sped to a time of 38.73 seconds in the tiebreaker to take the win. Just off the pace was Margie Engle (USA) and Dicas, who crossed the timers in 39.63 seconds, and Casall and Ali Wolff (USA) rounded out the podium in 40.12 seconds.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Derbyshire continued. “He’s jumped double clear in lots of grand prixs but was always third or fourth. He used to be a little cheeky and could run out so I always tried to play it safe.”
Derbyshire admitted she wanted to stick to her instincts with Cornwall BH and play it safe in Sunday’s class, but changed her mind as it was her turn to jump off. “I actually was a little defeatist before I went in and was going to just go for a medium clear,” she said of her original plan. “I thought Ali [Wolff] was very fast and a couple of the rollbacks didn’t really suit him. When I saw Nick [Dello Joio ] go, I was like, ‘I’m going to give it a go.’ I think I was a little faster to the in-and-out. He’s so careful that I didn’t really have to slow down for the double of verticals.”
“We love Traverse City,” Derbyshire remarked on her time at Flintfields Horse Park. “We’ve been coming for the last eight years. We’ve been able to do some boating in the afternoons. The restaurants are great. The show every year is better and better. We’re happy this year that we’re finishing earlier and getting to enjoy the city outside the show.”
With her top horse for the past two years, Derbyshire will be strategic in her plan for Cornwall BH and choose the classes he competes in wisely, but will surely contend for more top victories in coming weeks at GLEF.
“The wins we put down speak to a magnificent team behind us,” Derbyshire concluded about Baxter Hill’s week in Traverse City, which included CSI3* victories for herself and student Mimi Gochman (USA). “All our staff supports one another. Sophie [Gochman] has been away in college and she came and joined us and got to win a class, so we all won. It’s a testament to the team behind us.”
Final Results: $138,600 Meijer CSI3* Grand Prix
1. CORNWALL BH: 2008 HOLST gelding by Con Air x Cambridge
AMANDA DERBYSHIRE (GBR), Gochman Sport Horse LLC: 0/0/38.73
2. DICAS: 2009 RHEIN gelding by Diarado x Cassini I
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Gladewinds Partners, LLC: 0/0/39.63
3. CASALL: 2005 HOLST gelding by Casall x Capitol I
ALI WOLFF (USA), Blacklick Bend Farm: 0/0/40.12
4. CORNET’S CAMBRIDGE: 2012 OS gelding by Balou Du Reventon x Cambridge
NICK DELLO JOIO (USA), The Berry Group LLC: 0/0/40.23
5. CARISSIMO 25: 2013 HOLST gelding by Cascadello x Clinton
MAVIS SPENCER (USA), Georgy Maskrey-Segesman: 0/0/41.59
6. MIMOSA VD ROLLEBEEK: 2012 BWP mare by Castelin VD Helle x Toulon
MCKAYLA LANGMEIER (USA), Linda Langmeier: 0/4/38.76
7. MORRIS HORTA: 2012 BWP stallion by Eldorado VD Zeshoek x Vigo D’Arsouilles STX
MARTIEN VAN DER HOEVEN (USA), Luccirelli International, LLC: 0/4/40.29
8. ICE ZOETENDALE Z: 2013 ZANG gelding by Iceberg ZT x Burggraaf NV
FRANCISCO GOYOAGA MOLLET (ESP), Spencer Smith: 0/4/45.94
9. ICARUS: 2008 BWP stallion by Douglas x Sioux de Baugy
FRANCISCO GOYOAGA MOLLET (ESP), Strasburg Moring Inc.: 0/8/56.29
10. FABREGAS: 2010 KWPN gelding by Zambesi TN x Nairone
ALEXANDRA SMITH (USA), Ashland Farms: 1/76.16
11. FOR GOLD: 2011 HOLST gelding by For Fashion x Heraldik
ALEC LAWLER (USA), Lawler Show Jumping LLC: 4/70.57
12. FLOTYLLA: 2011 PZHK mare by Alvaro 121 x Bajou Du Rouet
CATHLEEN DRISCOLL (USA), Donald Stewart: 4/70.9
Small Steps To Victory: Pope and Iwasaki Top Traverse City Hunter Derbies
The event’s best hunter riders donned their shadbellies Sunday morning as the week concluded with the $5,000 Traverse City Non-ProHunter Derby followed immediately by the $10,000 Traverse City Pro Hunter Derby, presented by Perfect Products. An impressive total of 62 combinations contested each section, with the top-12 scoring pairs in each invited to return for the handy portions.
The $10,000 Traverse City Hunter Derby welcomed top professionals and their superstar mounts, with the cutoff for the second round set at a score of 86.5. Jacob Pope proved his new partnership to be a powerful one as he and San Pedro 15 rode to the top.
Pope and the Don Stewart-owned 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Stakkato x Contendro) immediately shot to the pinnacle position after scoring a 94 in the first round. As the final pair to return for the handy, the duo gave it their all and their all was enough.
Risky inside turns gave them bonus handy points plus three high options for a handy-round score of 92 and a combined total of 186. Samantha Schaefer and Madeline Schaefer’s In The Know were the second best, scoring a total of 184, and Moonwalk with Hillary Johnson for Copper Fox, LLC took third on a 178.75 score.
“My first class with him was actually the [WCHR Central Hunter] Spectacular in the spring which was so beautifully done,” Pope said. “He was awesome. That was my first class with him and this is my second. I think he was doing jumpers this winter and then Don [Stewart] saw him – he has such a good eye for horses. He brought him out of the jumper ring and he’s been a superstar.”
With the win, San Pedro 15 was awarded the Platinum Performance Hunter Horse of the Week title.
Finishing three mounts in the top ten, Pope adapted his handy round plan for each one according to the ride each horse needed. “Sam Schaefer did the inside turn to the high option and I was wondering if it was there or not,” he continued. “Of course she did it beautifully so I figured I had to on my horse to try and win. Don gave me a couple exercises in the schooling area and I went ahead and took the risk and it paid off.”
Pope is planting roots in northern Michigan after several successful seasons. “Traverse City is home now,” he said. “I just bought a house here over the winter. I ride for Ivan Rakowsky and Team Rakowsky so home is here and Florida. I can’t say enough nice things about the show. The footing is amazing, the course was beautiful, the horses love it, the weather is great and you can’t beat the town.”
In the $5,000 Traverse City Non-Pro Hunter Derby, Augusta Iwasaki and Small Moments took the early top spot over the first course with a leading score of 91. At the completion of the first phase, Iwasaki maintained her position with Isabelle Ehman and Chambertino as the closest challenging combination on a score of 90.
The shortened handy track gave competitors plenty of chances to show off the best qualities of their mounts. The course included a trot fence, a bending line, and three high options for additional points. As the final round wound down, the original leaderboard saw several shake-ups, but when Iwasaki and Small Moments entered for the final time the pair made sure to leave no room for error. The judges awarded the duo a score of 90 to add to their previous 91 points which left them dominating the field on a total of 181.
“This mare has progressed so much since we got her at the beginning of this year,” stated Iwasaki of the 5-year-old Elizabeth Reilly-owned Hanoverian mare (Cascadello x Handel). “This is her second derby win and she has only competed in three or four derbies ever, so she seems to be very good at this.”
Iwasaki is no stranger to the winners circle and has a string of top hunter horses, but feels the young mare’s willing attitude and presence in the ring makes her an obvious stand-out to the judges.
“She has a very classic look to her and her style is nice to watch,” Iwasaki explained. “She’s never spooked at a jump because it is just not a part of her nature. In the beginning she didn’t really know what was going on, but she trusted me to guide her around the course and she is more than happy to do the job.”
In a winning mood, Iwasaki moved her second mount in the class, Insightful, up to the reserve position after combining her first round score of 88.5 with a handy score of 89 to fall 3.5 points behind her winning mount with a 177.5 overall score. Hayley Hewitt and Chantilly moved up to receive the third place honors with a total of 174.
Hunter Derby action continues during GLEF II with Sunday’s $10,000 Non-Pro Traverse City Derby, presented by Luxe EQ, and the $10,000 Pro Traverse City Derby.
$10,000 Traverse City Hunter Derby, presented by Perfect Products
1. San Pedro 15 / Jacob Pope / Donald Stewart / 94 + 92 = 186
2. In The Know / Samantha Schaefer / Madeline Schaefer / 91 + 93 = 184
3. Moonwalk / Hillary Johnson / Copper Fox LLC / 90 + 88.75 = 178.75
4. Ziggy Stardust / Jacob Pope / Opening Bell Sporthorses LLC / 89.5 + 98 = 178.5
5. Cillighan / Tiffany Morrissey / Claudia Millstone / 92 + 86 = 178
6. Blue Monday / Hillary Johnson / Stephanie Battershall / 88 + 88.5 = 176.5
7. Vayrie Cool / Jef Lauwers / Hannah Coon / 89 + 87.25 = 176.25
8. Philadelphia Story / Samantha Schaefer / The Lignelli Family / 86 + 90 = 176
9. Copernicus K / Tiffany Morrissey / Kathryn Withers / 87 + 86.5 = 173.5
10. G. Eleven / Jacob Pope / Donald Stewart / 85 + 88 = 173
11. Didgereedoo VDL / Kelsey Epperson / Lashier Properties LLC / 90 + 82 = 172.5
12. Constellation / Anna Schierholz / Anna Schierholz / 86.5 + 78 = 164.5
Final Results: $5,000 Traverse City Non-Pro Hunter Derby
1. Small Moments / Augusta Iwasaki / Elizabeth Reilly / 91 + 90 = 181
2. Insightful / Augusta Iwasaki / Sunset View Farm LLC / 88.5 + 89 = 177.5
3. Chantilly / Hayley Hewitt / Aerin Genatt / 86 + 88 = 174
4. Demonia GS Z / Eva Mackenzie / Eva Mackenzie / 88 + 83 = 171
5. Primus Rex / Brian Shook / Oakvale Ventures LLC / 84 + 86 = 170
6. Summer Song / Hampton Baker / Hampton Baker / 83 + 85.5 = 168.5
7. Westeros / Owen Gajoch / Samantha Gajoch / 86 + 82 = 168
8. Chambertino / Isabelle Ehman / Cassandra Orpen / 90 + 70 = 160
9. Gilbert / Briton Sanders / Kenya Sanders / 81 + 78 = 159
10. Renior / Daniela Casline / Alexa Stiegler / 81 + 78 = 159
11. High Society / Abigail Gordon / Libbie Gordon / 85.5 + 67 = 152.5
12. Maximus L / Owen Gajoch / Owen Gajoch / 88 + 48 = 136
Ava Oberting Owns EQUIS Low Children’s Jumper Classic
Ava Oberting and her new mount arrived in Traverse City in style, topping the EQUIS Low Children’s Jumper Classic out of 27 entries Sunday afternoon. Paired together since February, Oberting and Fifty Fifty 111, owned by Oakland Ventures, LLC, jumped to a double-clear effort in 31.290 seconds to take the win.
“I love her so much,” Oberting said of the 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Action Breaker x Major De La Cour. “She’s so perfect. She helps me if I need her. If I ask her for something she’ll go for it and she saves me a lot. I love her. She’s a perfect match for what I need.”
Oberting hopes to keep advancing to the Children’s Jumper division, in which she competed just last week near her hometown in New York. As her partnership with her horse progresses, she aspires to keep moving up and winning at a higher level.
After a successful first outing during GLEF I, Oberting is excited for the season in Traverse City. “I love it,” she commented on the event. “It’s beautiful, and the views are amazing. Outside the show there’s always so much to do. The horse show is like a dream come true; it’s amazing.”
Final Results: Equis Low Children’s Jumper Classic
1. Fifty Fifty 111 / Ava Oberting / Oakland Ventures LLC / 0/0/31.290
2. Like A Dream / Siena Beabout / Sterling Equestrian / 0/0/32.368
3. AD F16 / Colvin Hall / Chase Finizio / 0/0/33.022
4. Visto’s Bespoke / Ava Defelice / Twin Horse LLC / 0/0/34.847
5. Indoktro / Heidi Chase / Heidi Chase / 0/0/35.878
6. Infinity / Juliette Pletka / Kristen Collins / 0/0/35.885
7. Affier / Collin Sweetnam / Forget Me Not Farm / 0/0/35.891
8. Carly 10 / Riley Underwood / Bird Ranch / 0/0/36.889
9. Jaccobantos / Emma Bresele / Emma Bresele / 0/0/43.373
10. Collin W / Carline Hoover / Deputy Equestrian LLC / 0/4/36.456
11. Djibab Van De Linthorst / Brooke O’Malley / Kyra Russell / 0/4/40.831
12. Pepper / Alexis Orr / Imperial Show Stables / 0/4/42.151
