SCHROEDER, KARAZISIS, AND COLLINS CLAIM DERBY WINS DURING OPENING WEEK OF NATIONAL SUNSHINE SERIES
The first “Derby Friday” crowned three winners during the first week of the National Sunshine Series. The morning’s $10,000 Platinum Performance USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Open was split into sections A and B, with over 30 entries coming forth in each section. Karli Schroeder took top call in section A with Won Love, owned by Jack Strang. The pair earned scores of 87.5 and 90 in the classic and handy rounds, respectively, for a total of 177.5.
Karli Schroeder and Won Love. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“He’s a new horse for me,” Schroeder reflected on getting to know the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “One of our clients just got him after Junior Hunter Finals. It’s going to be [Jack’s] first real Children’s Hunter and hopefully take him into the Junior Hunters. We just started our partnership but I’ve had my eye on this horse for a long time. I actually judged him here at Desert Horse Park with his previous owner, and I fell in love with him then. I’m very excited to have the horse in the barn. He’s just a genius; he’s a gem.”
Won Love knew what the assignment was, despite morning shadows and a challenging course, designed by Nancy Wallis. “He was excellent,” Schroeder continued. “It was a little spooky in the morning with a lot of shadows. He rose to the challenge. As soon as I picked up the canter he was game on and full focus. I appreciate a horse that walks into the ring with that sort of mentality, wanting to win.”
Schroeder has big plans for the remainder of her time in Thermal, both for the National Sunshine Series and Desert Circuit. “It’s great to be back in the desert,” she shared. “I love Main Hunter; I love how much they decorate it and how fun they make the courses. All the competition that shows up to these horse shows is great, and it brings a different field than any other show we have in California. We’ll be back for six weeks for Desert Circuit and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Jenny Karazissis brought a fan favorite Big Shot back into hunter derby action in section B of the $10,000 Platinum Performance USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Open. After quite some time off, Big Shot is back and better than ever, and the judges agreed. The seasoned duo brought home scores of 87.25 and 91 in the respective rounds for a combined total of 178.25.
“He had over a year off and his first show back was in August,” Karazissis said of Dulcie Lou Morris’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “He won the derby there and hasn’t done anything since then. We brought him here and geared up for this class. He was a little bit of a handful yesterday in the 3’6” Performance but it was perfect schooling for today and he was right on it. I knew he was going to be really dialed in and well behaved.”
Karazissis sat on the sidelines for much of Desert Circuit 2023, but with her return to the saddle she’ll be a force in each of the upcoming derbies, no matter the mount she sits on. “It’s so great to be back,” she said of returning to DIHP. “We went to maybe two horse shows since Desert Circuit ended. It’s home for us; we have a place here and we just love it. What they have done to this place is just miraculous. It’s so horse friendly and I’m just very happy to be here.”
As for Big Shot, he’ll be carefully placed in the variety of big hunter classes as the season goes on. “I would love for him to be able to do the International Derby Regional Championships next week, but he will probably just do the National Derby next week and gear up for December,” she said of her plan. “Also week two of Desert Circuit there’s an International Derby in [Main Hunter] so I’ll gear him up for that.”
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