Alexandra Pielet Pilots Vex Freedom to $65,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Regional Championship Win at National Sunshine Series 2
Alexandra Pielet, 23, earned the first major hunter derby victory of her career on Friday, November 8, at National Sunshine Series 2 – and it was not just any hunter derby. With Vex Freedom, Pielet rode to the win in the $65,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Regional Championship.
“I’m over the moon; I have never won a big derby before, and I was crying before I came in!” said Pielet, who currently works as a trainer for October Hill Farm, based out of Texas. “[Vex Freedom] is unbelievable. She’s owned by Wendy Davis Gerrish, and she is her heart horse. As you can see, she is incredible.”
Pielet and Vex Freedom were one of 30 entries to take on the regional championship course, set on the Desert International Horse Park’s spacious grass field. At the end of the opening round, they held third place on a combined score from the two judging panels of 178.5 – but the handy round proved to be their time to really shine.
With all four high options taken, and a great display of handiness, the judges awarded Pielet and Vex Freedom a second-round score of 184 for an overall, winning total of 362.5.
Finishing in second place with an overall score of 358 were Dustin Goodwin and Reputation, and Nicole Bourgeois and Vino Bianco took home third on a score of 348.
“I thought the course was really, really nice,” said Pielet. “It suited [Vex Freedom] really well. She just gives such an incredible feeling. When you have all those single jumps, you can really just show off. In the second round, I trust that horse like the back of my hand, and I knew I could just turn on a dime and just be as slick as I possibly could, and it really paid off.”
In speaking of the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare, owned by Vex Sporthorses Ltd., Pielet continued, “Her personality is as sweet as it gets. She loves bananas. She’ll really eat anything. She likes cupcakes and donuts too. She likes the forward ride, and she likes when you just let her do her thing. She knows her drill; she knows her job, and she just wants you to let her enjoy it.”
For Pielet, the derby championship marked not only her first major derby victory, but also her first trip to the Desert International Horse Park – and now it seems probable that Pielet will want to return!
“This field is quite amazing,” concluded Pielet. “I’ve never ridden on a field like this. I’m very lucky that I had this opportunity. It’s so smooth, and it’s not rough, and everything is really leveled. It’s just so nice for the horses. It’s really nice that they’re able to grip onto it, and just the feeling of the jump could tell you how the grass was.”
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