Devon, Pa. – June 1, 2019 – Since Tuesday, international horses and athletes have been competing for valuable points towards the week’s coveted Open Jumper championship, sponsored by Hermès. Following their top performances throughout the 2019 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, Gochman Sport Horse LLC’s Roulette BH, ridden by Great Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire, and Double H Farm’s HH Azur, ridden by the USA’s McLain Ward, were crowned the 2019 Open Jumper champions and winners of the Little Big Man Challenge Trophy. Both horses tied with 15 points at the conclusion of Saturday’s $72,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4*, which was won by Derbyshire and Roulette BH.
With Saturday’s class counting for the same amount of points as Thursday’s $250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon CSI4*, Derbyshire and the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding were able to accumulate enough points to match Ward and HH Azur’s from Thursday’s grand prix win for the championship, while also taking home the John Wanamaker Perpetual Trophy on Saturday for their victory.
On top of that, Derbyshire rode her own Oasis Spirit to a fourth and third place finish in Thursday morning’s $36,000 Main Line Challenge CSI4* and in Friday’s $36,000 Devon Speed Derby CSI4*, sponsored by GlycoGuard®, respectively, to help her earn the Leading Open Jumper Rider title, sponsored by Malvern Bank, and Orchard Lodge Perpetual Trophy with 21 points. As a result, she also won the Leading Lady Rider award and the Carol Hofmann Thompson Leading Lady Rider Challenge Trophy.
Prior to Saturday’s championship awards ceremonies, the final class of the Open Jumper division, the $72,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4*, was held in the Dixon Oval and saw 35 entries turn out to compete.
Eight exhibitors cleared Guilherme Jorge’s first round course to advance to the jump-off round, where the top three finished within just fractions of a second of each other. Derbyshire and Roulette BH rode to the quickest double-clear effort, out of five, in 34.28 seconds to best the world-class field of international horses and athletes. David Oberkircher (USA) took home second place with Southfields Farm LLC’s Upper in 34.50 seconds, while Lillie Keenan (USA) and Chansonette Farm LLC’s Chaccolette rounded out the top three in 34.68 seconds.
Earlier in the afternoon, the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, sponsored by Hermès, took center stage in the Dixon Oval to close out the Amatuer-Owner Jumper division at the Devon Horse Show.
(Photo: The Book LLC)
Out of 17 entries, it was 20-year-old Natalie Dean of Palo Alto, California, who rode to the top of the leaderboard with her own Chacco’s Goldy. The pair was one of six to advance to the jump-off, finishing with the only double-clear performance in a swift 34.500 seconds to claim the Good Enough Challenge Trophy.
Combined with her one-two finish in Friday morning’s speed round of the division, sponsored by Lugano Diamonds, claiming the win and the Ward Sullivan Memorial Perpetual Trophy with her other mount, Don’s Diamant, and second place with Chacco’s Goldy, followed by another back-to-back finish in the next class, sponsored by Purina, later in the day, earning second and third place with Chacco’s Goldy and Don’s Diamant, respectively, Dean wrapped up her first week competing at Devon as the recipient of the Amateur-Owner Jumper championship, sponsored by Lugano Diamonds, and the Goblin Challenge Trophy with Chacco’s Goldy with 27 points. Continuing her sweep of the division, Dean also took home the reserve championship with Don’s Diamant with 14 points. As a result, she earned the Leading Amateur-Owner Jumper Award, sponsored by Hermès, and the Marshall-Hale Perpetual Trophy.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) – 2019 Open Jumper champion and $72,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4* winner
On winning the Open Jumper championship at the Devon Horse Show:
“It’s unbelievable. The atmosphere and crowd is better than anywhere I’ve ever ridden, actually. Everyone gets together and it feels very special. To win the class [and championship] on the last night, it means a lot. I only jumped [Roulette BH] in one other class as a warm-up on Thursday [in the $36,000 Main Line Challenge CSI4*] and he was seventh and clear. The big aim for him for the week was tonight so I was glad that we saved him for it. He performed well tonight.”
On Roulette BH:
“I’ve actually had him for exactly a year today. Last year at Devon was our debut show together. We just did a couple of smaller classes. He’s been such a great horse. He’s very, very careful. We’ve always taken it slow with him and tried to work on his rideability because I’m little and he’s very strong, but that’s all come together in the last six months and now we are able to go fast in the jump-off with control.”
On her rounds on Saturday:
“David Oberkircher had the winning ride before I went in and he actually did seven up the first line and seven down the last line. I kind of stuck to my original plan of eight. [Roulette BH] is a little bit of a quicker horse and just fractionally we beat him. I thought the course in the first round was little tricky, definitely trickier than it walked. It was nice though, it was perfect. Thank you to Becky Gochman for always supporting me and owning such a great horse. I’m lucky to have him.”
On her future plans:
“Hopefully we’ll do a couple of Nations Cups this summer. We’re all going to Europe for a little summer tour with the Gochman family and River’s Edge so I’m excited about that. We’ll get to do some nice shows and get some more experience.”
McLain Ward (USA) – 2019 Open Jumper champion
On his week at the 2019 Devon Horse Show:
“It’s always nice to win another title here. We had a great grand prix night. We had some other young horses here who jumped some very good, clean rounds so it was a good week. The atmosphere is phenomenal and the facility is amazing. We go to Upperville next week.”
On his other horses’ performances at Devon:
“Contagious has been great over the last year but had a long break after Florida — now a month off. He’s a bit rusty. Rapidash is a new horse and is becoming more and more consistent. It’s a horse that I own that is actually for sale and I think he has a big future.”
Natalie Dean – 2019 Amateur-Owner Jumper champion and reserve champion, sponsored by Lugano Diamonds
On winning the Amateur-Owner Jumper championship at Devon:
“It’s actually a little bittersweet. This was my last class on [Chacco’s Goldy], so I’m actually really happy to win. We’ve decided to lease her out after this. This is my first time showing at Devon. The crowd is amazing. It’s definitely one of my favorite shows. I showed the winter circuit on the West Coast and then I came to the East Coast. It was definitely one of our goals to compete here. It’s a famous show. It’s been around for a long time and I’ve always watched it on the live stream at home so it’s really special to be here.”
On her jump-off with Chacco’s Goldy:
“I went fourth in the jump-off so I watched the first one go and I knew that I could leave out strides in some places because [Chacco’s Goldy] has such a big stride. Everything came up really nice and it just kind of worked out.”
On her horses:
“I’ve had [Chacco’s Goldy] for a couple of years now. She really took me up to the bigger levels. I jumped her in the 1.50m last summer and I took her to Young Riders. [Don’s Diamant] I got last year and I just started showing him in some of the smaller grand prix classes. This show was really a warm-up for us to go to Upperville next week to compete in the FEI there. He was really good. He had the last fence down but he jumped amazing this week. I’m really happy with both of them. [Don’s Diamant] has the biggest heart out of any horse I’ve ever ridden and [Chacco’s Goldy] is super straightforward and sweet. She’s just amazing.”
On training with Ilan Ferder:
“I just started riding with Ilan Ferder. I trained with Butch and Lu Thomas in California before I came to him. It hasn’t been that long but it’s great so far and I really look forward to the future. He’s really taught me to trust myself and trust the feel that I have for my horses.”
RESULTS
$72,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4*:
Place / Horse / Athlete / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Roulette BH / Amanda Derbyshire / GBR / Gochman Sport Horse LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.28
2. Upper / David Oberkircher / USA / Southfields Farm LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.50
3. Chaccolette / Lillie Keenan / USA / Chansonette Farm LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.68
4. Dsarie / Beat Mändli / SUI / Grant Road Partners GmbH / 0 / 0 / 37.07
5. Iceman De Muze / Schuyler Riley / USA / E2 Show Jumpers / 0 / 0 / 39.36
6. Akuna Mattata / Nicole Shahinian-Simpson / USA / Silver Raven Farms / 0 / 4 / 34.79
7. Galan S / Beat Mändli / SUI / Grand Road Partners LLC / 0 / 4 / 36.18
8. Rapidash / McLain Ward / USA / McLain Ward / 0 / 4 / 36.88
9. Quilimbo / Schuyler Riley / USA / E2 Show Jumpers / 1 / 78.03
10. Atika Des Hauts Vents / Katherine Dinan / USA / Grant Road Partners LLC / 1 / 78.676
11. Super Chilled / Kevin Babington / IRL / Debra J. Wycoff / 4 / 74.12
12. Jakarta / Laura Kraut / USA / St. Bride’s Farm / 4 / 75.36
$20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, sponsored by Hermès:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Chacco’s Goldy / Natalie Dean / Natalie Dean / 0 / 0 / 34.500
2. Brazzaville / Jaime Auletto / Jaime Auletto / 0 / 4 / 33.719
3. H H Fireball / Alexa Pessoa / Amethyst Equestrian Consulting LLC / 0 / 4 / 36.239
4. Coverboy / Catherine Wachtell / Autumn View Farm / 0 / 4 / 37.464
5. Pistoya / Philip Richter / Turnabout Farm, Inc. / 0 / 12 / 37.136
6. Dakar VDL / Riley Newsome / Riley Newsome / 0 / Elim
7. Indy Van De Roten / Catherine Wachtell / Autumn View Farm / 4 / 65.619
8. Luron S Z / Riley Newsome / Riley Newsome / 4 / 66.802
9. Don’s Diamant / Natalie Dean / Natalie Dean / 4 / 68.437
10. Vedor / Kaitlyn Williams / Kaitlyn Williams / 4 / 68.768