Since last Tuesday, international horses and athletes competed for valuable points towards last 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.
Amanda Derbyshire and Roulette BH (Photo: The Book LLC)
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.
Amanda Derbyshire and Roulette BH. Photo by Phelps Sports
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.
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.
Natalie Dean and Chacco’s Goldy. (Photo: The Book LLC)
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.