By Emily Randolph/Randolph PR
Katy, TX – Peyton Addington, 17, and Semi-Automatic C earned victory in the $30,000 United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby – Hunt & Go on Friday, April 1, during Week II of the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in Katy, TX.
The junior rider from Dallas, TX, topped a field of 27 professionals, juniors, and amateurs alike to earn her first international derby victory.
“I’m so excited! There were a lot of professionals, so it was fun to win as a junior,” said Addington, who only last year was competing in the pony divisions during her first time at Pin Oak.
On their way to the win, Addington and Semi-Automatic C completed an eight-fence Classic Hunter Round set in one ring by course designer Joseph Carnicorn before immediately entering a connecting ring and continuing on to an additional six-fence Handy Hunter Round.
In the Classic Hunter Round, Addington earned a base score of 87 plus two high options, and in the handy portion of the hunt & go-format class, the pair earned a total score of 89.25 for an overall score of 178.25.
The top score in the Handy Hunter Round, and the second-place overall award, went to Lilly Goldstein and her own Captain Braunbaer who earned scores of 85 and 93 for a 178.00 cumulative total. Also earning a total score of 178.00 were Rory Caskey and Checkpoint Charlie, owned by Nourah Caskey, who took third place with base scores factoring in as the tie breaker.
“The first jump, I definitely had to ride up well to it, and then the rest of it was really smooth,” said Addington, who trains with Matt Cyphert and Audrey Norrell of Woodhill Farm. “You had to sit down a little bit for the curvy wall, which was difficult, and then settle for the go part before a nice big canter down to the last jump. [Semi-Automatic C] gave a really great effort over the last fence, and I thought he jumped it great!”
Addington has been partnered with Semi-Automatic C since August 2021 and meshed quickly with the 13-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood gelding.
“He’s perfect; he’s really smooth,” said Addington, who attends a high school geared toward athletes, which allows her to spend extra time focused on riding Semi-Automatic C. “He has a really good canter that’s easy to find the jumps off of.
“It’s fun to be in the derbies with him,” continued Addington. “Thank you to everyone that put this show together. It was a great night!”
For full results, click here.
Earlier in the day, two additional derby wins were awarded to Emma Rupinski on C’est La Vie and Natalee Haggan on MTM Tourino.
For the second week in a row, Rupinski and C’est La Vie, owned by River Run Farm, LLC, earned the win in the $10,000 USHJA Jr./Amateur National Hunter Derby, presented by The Foundation for the Horse. In the $10,000 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby, also presented by The Foundation for the Horse, Haggan and MTM Tourino took the top call.
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