Edited Press Release

Hunter derby riders took center stage in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring Friday at ESP Pre Charity to compete for the tricolor ribbon in the $2,500 USHJA Hunter Derby presented by Pilates Rocks, which served as the week’s featured hunter class. Leading the way was GN Equestrian, LLC’s Kilkenny and Taylor Cawley of Wellington, FL.

“This was only my third time riding this horse [Kilkenny], but he’s super brave and I trust him a lot,” remarked Cawley. “He was super confident and knew what he was doing, and we had so much fun today.”

The class was held in a “Hunt and Go” format, meaning the first portion of the course was judged as the Classic round, while the latter half of the trip was scored as the Handy phase. Cawley and Kilkenny were up against a leading score of 158.1 but catapulted to the top after two consistent performances. The pair’s trip in the Classic portion of the class was given a base score of 82 and two additional points for taking the high-option fences for a score of 84, and a matching Handy phase score to put the partnership at the top of the leaderboard.

“For a hunt and go class, I think you have to focus a lot more because you only get one chance to go in the ring. Once you finish the hunt portion, you go right into the handy. Today, it started after the two-stride line with a tight turn back to a trot jump. I thought it was a great way to start the handy portion because it made you think about the turn you had to do,” shared Cawley of the course designed. by Robert McGregor.

Taking second place in the class was horse-and-rider combination, Chaz Harpman of Wellington, FL, and Margot Hirsch’s Evolutionary, with a cumulative score of 158.1. Angela Calicchio of Wellington, FL, rounded out the podium with City Walk, owned by Cali Horse Sales, LLC, with a total of 158 points.

For the full results of the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Pilates Rocks, please click HERE.

Original press release from https://pbiec.com.

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