Molly Ashe and Kennzo (Photo (c) Mancini Photos)
The $15,000 Holiday & Horses USHJA International Hunter Derby was held in the Mogavero Ring at PBIEC featuring two rounds of competition over a course set by Jasen Shelley. The judges included Danny Robertshaw, Kitty Barker, John Barker, and Jim Zulia.
Molly Ashe jumped Kristen Abbatiello-Neff's Kennzo, an eleven-year-old Finnish Warmblood gelding by Coriano, to victory with two beautiful rounds of competition. Ashe and Kennzo earned the high score of 183 in the classic round and then received the second highest score of 199 in the handy course to finish with 382 points overall.
Kelley Farmer and David Glefke's Skorekeeper had the high score in the handy round with 200.5 points, which combined with their classic score of 173.5 to give the pair a 374-point total and second place honors.
Kennzo mainly shows in the hunter derby classes with Ashe and has proven himself with several wins in the last couple of years, including top honors at Horse Shows by the Bay this summer. He was also third in the derby at the Hampton Classic in August and has not shown since then. Despite the time off, Kennzo came out like a pro on Sunday.
"Clearly he has done a lot of eating," Ashe joked after the class. "He is really cool that way. You can pull him out and go right out there and he is on it. He is like a pony. You turn him out, and you can't catch him. Riding him is like pulling teeth. He is a firm believer in me working as hard as he does. In the schooling area he won't go. You canter the jump, and he will land trotting and stopping. But then he goes in the ring, and he knows his job. He is perfect in the ring."
"He is so much fun," she affirmed. "He is so scopey, and he has a great jump. He has really turned into such a great show horse. I have had him since he was seven, and he started out as a jumper and then we started doing the hunters. He really knows his job now, and he is all business every time. He takes no preparation. He literally walks to the ring and off he goes."
Ashe also placed third in Sunday's class riding Elisee Browchuck's Original du Rietz. The pair earned scores of 171 and 184 for an overall score of 355.
"I was very proud of him," the rider smiled. "He was doing jumpers with his owner and got a little scared and unhappy about it, so we made him a hunter. He marched right out there. He had not done anything since Southampton either, and he laid it down right from round one."
Havens Schatt and Bruce Duchossois's Just Fred finished fourth with scores of 163 and 190.5 for a score of 353.5 overall. Jennifer Bliss earned fifth and sixth place honors riding Harris Hill Farm LLC's Poker Face and Extraordinary. Poker Face earned scores of 156 and 186 for a total of 342 to place fifth. Extraordinary received a 145 and a 183 for a 328-point total and the sixth place prize.
A $10,000 Open Jumper 1.40m Stake class concluded the competition on Sunday with a course set in the International Arena by Anthony D'Ambrosio. Twenty-eight entries showed in round one with five clear rounds to advance to the jump-off and five double clears over the short course. The fastest time of 37.946 seconds earned top prize for U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Kraut riding Stars and Stripes' Bonito R, an eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding by El Bonito x Rhytmo.
New Zealand's Grant Wilson finished second riding Octavia de Beaufour, owned by Emmanuelle Mille and Grant Wilson. The pair cleared the short course in 38.411 seconds. Denmark's Henrik Gundersen finished third riding Adlanteur through the timers in 39.609 seconds. Young U.S. rider, Sydney Shulman, took home both the fourth and fifth place honors. Shulman and Marcus Hagglund's Quirado finished fourth with a time of 39.932 seconds. Riding Back Country Farm's HH Narcos du Marais, Shulman placed fifth in 40.661 seconds.
Final Results: $15,000 Holiday & Horses USHJA International Hunter Derby
Horse/Rider/Owner/Rd 1/Rd 2/Total
1. KENNZO MOLLY ASHE KRISTEN ABBATIELLO-NEFF: 183/199/382
2. SKOREKEEPER KELLEY FARMER DAVID GLEFKE: 173.5/200.5/374
3. ORIGINAL DU RIETZ MOLLY ASHE ELISEE BROWCHUK: 171/184/355
4. JUST FRED HAVENS SCHATT BRUCE DUCHOSSOIS: 163/190.5/353.5
5. POKER FACE JENNIFER BLISS HARRIS HILL FARM LLC: 156/186/342
6. EXTRAORDINARY JENNIFER BLISS HARRIS HILL FARM LLC: 145/183/328
7. O'RYAN SYDNEY SHULMAN FAIRFIELD FARMS LLC: 148/179.5/327.5
8. DELANY ERYNN BALLARD REDFIELD FARM: 150/170/320
9. ENTOURAGE ASHLEY HOTZ ASHLEY HOTZ: 160/160/320
10. PIM BRITTANY SUTTON GEOFFREY SUTTON: 147/152/299
11. QUOTABLE KELLEY FARMER GLEFKE & GARBER: 86/189/275
12. TEMPTATION KRISTY HERRERA AUTUMN JANESKY: 98/NA/98
Final Results: $10,000 Open Stake 1.40m
1. BONITO R LAURA KRAUT STARS AND STRIPES: 0/0/37.946
2. OCTAVIA DE BEAUFOUR GRANT WILSON EMMANUELLE MILLE & GRANT WILSON: 0/0/38.411
3. ADLANTEUR HENRIK GUNDERSEN HENRIK GUNDERSEN: 0/0/39.609
4. QUIRADO SYDNEY SHULMAN MARCUS HAGGLUND: 0/0/39.932
5. HH NARCOS DU MARAIS SYDNEY SHULMAN BACK COUNTRY FARM: 0/0/40.661
6. WHATEVER KAREN POLLE KAREN POLLE: 4/70.287
7. RADIO CITY WILTON PORTER SLEEPY P RANCH LLC: 4/70.541
8. STAR WATCH SAMANTHA SENFT SAMANTHA SENFT: 4/71.720
9. BAILEY RICHIE MOLONEY EQUINIMITY LLC: 4/72.803
10. CHANEL ROBERTO TERAN CHEHEBAR, SIMHON & BLUE STAR INV: 4/75.533