Victoria Colvin and Tiffany Morrissey Double the Win in $10,000 NetJets USHJA National Hunter Derby Hunt-N-Go
Hunter riders took to the grass derby field at Equestrian Village to compete in Friday’s $10,000 NetJets USHJA National Hunter Derby, held in a hunt-n-go format. The day showcased professional, junior and amateur riders during the Lugano Diamonds-sponsored Week 7 at Wellington International’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
The hunt-n-go format consolidates two rounds into one with both a classic and a handy element. Designed by Tom Carlson (USA), the course consisted of 13 obstacles utilizing the expansive derby field to showcase classic hunter style.
Receiving the highest scores overall over both rounds, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, and Graphyx, owned by Avery Mallard took the win in Section A after the field was divided in a California split. The pair received double scores of 91 for each phase, resulting in a total score of 182.
“These classes are always fun. I had three horses out here and they were all well behaved,” said Colvin. “This week’s been very light obviously after [WCHR] hunter week, so it’s kind of been a blast; a little bit of a vacation on the field.
“He [Graphyx] shows with his owner who’s a junior and I’ve done him in some 3’3” Pre-Green classes,” she continued of the eight-year-old gelding. “He hadn’t done 3’6” before this, so this was his big class of the week.”
The Section B blue ribbon went to Tiffany Morrissey of Wellington, FL, and Copernicus K, owned by Dr. Kathryn Withers. The pair collected scores of 91.50 for the classic portion and 90.25 for the handy portion, totaling at 181.75.
“Copernicus K is my classic derby horse,” said Morrissey of the 14-year-old gelding. “He’s super brave. I know I’ll be good going into any arena. We try to save him for classes like this on the grass because one of his biggest assets is his ability to shine in these big arenas.”
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