WELLINGTON, Fla.--Victoria Colvin and Brad Wolf's Private Practice won the Welcome Stake at the Deeridge Derby on March 2, and two days later scored again, big time, in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby,
Victoria Colvin and Private Practice have only been together for two weeks, but they jumped around the course like a seasoned partnership to score 407 points over the two phases of the Derby, easily winning the feature event of the Deeridge Derby, part of the Palm Beach Masters series at Deeridge Farms, a spectacular world-class venue in Wellington, Florida.
Victoria Colvin on Private Practice (photo by Kathy Russell)Colvin and Private Practice scored a 194 in the first round, the highest score given by Judges R. Scot Evans, Robert Crandall, Sissy Wickes and Linda Andrisani, and returned in the Handy round to again get the highest score of 213 points.
"Private Practice is the perfect amount of careful," said Colvin. "I think he was pretty amazing here. I could not be happier with his performance today.
"He was a jumper before, but I thought he would be a good hunter. I think his background as a jumper has helped prepare him for a successful Derby career, especially today when you had to canter right from the in-gate to a big first fence. There is nothing I would change right now about his jump. All I would change is his bridlepath, it is at least a foot long!"
RED RYDER, owned by Tracy Freels and ridden by Hannah Isop, placed second, scoring 182 in the first round and 206 in the Handy round for a total score of 388 points.
"I loved Steve Stephens' course yesterday," said Isop. "It worked out really well for my horse. Today I was a little nervous about all the left turns, but my horse handled it great. He is a little guy with a big heart. He is just coming back from an injury. He has been off for two years, and this is his first big class back so I am really happy."
Amy Momrow and Aeroplane, owned by Melissa Wright, finished in third with a total score of 380.5 points - 181.5 from the first round and 199 from the Handy round.
"The course today gave us a chance to showcase the great space of this field," said Momrow. "I want to thank Deeridge and the Jacobs family for putting on an event like this. To have the hunters showcased like this is wonderful."
In the jumper rng, Jessie Smith and her Chambery 25, a 10-year-old gelding, decimated the competition in the $7,500 Turkish Airlines 1.30m Jump-off class.
Twenty-two of the starting field of 30 horse and rider combinations went clear in the first round to advance to the jump-off., and Smith was the fastest of the11 who turned in double clear round, completing the shortened course in a blazing 35.876 seconds for the win.
"I bought him two years ago and it has been a long road," said Smith. "He was a little complicated when I got him, but he has turned into something easy, which is really amazing. He has always been sweet and 100 percent honest. We were making a joke this morning about how he is not fast, and I think he must have heard me say that and decided to prove me wrong.
"This show is amazing for him. At a bigger venue he is overstimulated and nervous and it almost dulls him a little bit. But this is almost a little European. This is my first time here and I just wish I had been here for all of them. It is such an incredible show. It is so much fun. We don't get to show at a lot of places like this."
