Lindstrom, Jones, and Alfano Shine Across HITS Venues in USHJA International Hunter Derbies Presented by Great American Insurance Group
Hunter competition at HITS venues across the country took center stage on July 30-August 3, with three USHJA International Hunter Derbies, presented by Great American Insurance Group. As the 2025 Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship quickly approaches, top hunter riders from across the country have flocked to the various HITS facilities to put the finishing touches on their final preparations. During a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week for Del Mar Summer Festival I at the HITS Del Mar Horsepark in Del Mar, California, Emma Lindstrom triumphed aboard Corragio. Meanwhile on the East Coast, Jennifer Jones closed out the popular Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York, with a win riding On the Bay. Finally, at HITS Chicago’s Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois, during Equifest II, Jennifer Alfano took the top prize with Ivy League.
Scott Starnes set the hunt-and-go course on the Grand Prix Grass Field at HITS Del Mar for the $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Great American Insurance Group. Judges Scott Hofstetter and Phillip Long watched 15 elite horse-and-rider combinations, but it was professional Emma Lindstrom and Coraggio that wowed them. The pair earned an 87 over the classic portion of the course, an 88 over the handy portion, plus four points for high option fences taken, totaling an impressive 179 for the victory.
“I’ve been riding Corragio for eight years now, so we’ve come a long way,” said Lindstrom of the 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Chablis I owned by June Salin. “He is super brave. We have a great partnership and we know each other really well.
“The course rode great for us today,” she added. “There were some long bending lines, which work nicely for us because I could really show off his big stride. It’s such invaluable experience to show out on this big field with so many great horses and riders. It really puts the spotlight on this class, and it makes us feel really important. He was so good today, so I’m really happy.”
Hot off her 3’6″ Junior Hunter Grand Championship title at the Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – West at HITS Del Mar the previous week, junior athlete Violet Tatum guided her trusted partner Jagerbomb, the 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Diarado x Chacco Blue) owned by Tatum Equestrian LLC, to a second-place finish on an overall score of 178.5. Rounding out the top three was Jason McArdle and Enrique, a 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Anita Pourteymour, who earned a final score of 171.
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