The professional hunter divisions at the Devon Horse Show have drama enough, but the $25,000 USHJA Hunter Derby a day later always takes it up a couple of notches, as star performers meet in a demanding two-round format.
The field of 38 for Thursday’s class included a line-up of major talent, including High Performance Working Hunter Champion Cannon Creek, 3-foot, 9-inch Green Hunter champ Front Page, High Performance Working Hunter Stake winner Lafite de Muze and last year’s Derby victor, Autograph.
Cannon Creek, Autograph’s stablemate, led with a score of 96 in the Classic round, but the tables were turned in the Handy round for which 12 qualified. Autograph, his sleek black coat setting off his supple frame, jumped with the same type of authority that won him the class in 2022.
“He’s so scopey. You can’t build jumps too big for him,” his rider, Hunt Tosh, bragged. Autograph, a son of Balou, earned a 94 in the Handy, the same score as in his first round, but this time it carried the day. His total of 188 brought him the $7,500 first prize.
Hunt Tosh and Autograph. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Analyzing the route for the Handy, Hunt agreed there weren’t many options in terms of approaching the fences, as is sometimes the case.
“You had to follow the same path and be tidy,” he commented.
“I think it truly was a jumping contest today. There wasn’t a place that you had to do anything crazy tricky. It was nice for the quality hunters that went in and jumped solid good rounds.”
The course designed by Alan Lohman included a tribute to Philadelphia, just a few miles from Devon. Among the fences was a model of Independence Hall, while renditions of the Liberty Bell were markers on the route.
Hunt was leading in the first round on Cannon Creek with a 96. But the 2022 USHJA International Hunter Derby winner tripped in the Handy to wind up with a score of 80 and finish 10th.
Cannon Creek and Autograph, owned by the Wheeler family (after whom the showgrounds’ second ring is named) are both imports who came from Emil Spadone’s Redfields Farm in Califon, N.J.
Colin Syquia, who rode Front Page to second place, noted “in the first round, he answered every question.” In the Handy, he was maybe a little bit late to the first jump on the left turn, but after that, he was awesome.”
Colin Syquia and Front Page. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
That may be what brought him down to a 90 from a 95.5 in the first round. The horse belongs to Cynthia Sulzberger, whose family publishes the New York Times, hence his name.
Hunt and Colin are respected professionals who have been on the scene for years, but the Derby’s third-place finisher, Ariana Marnell, is just 17. She finished ahead of her trainer, John French, ninth on Milagro.
Ariana rode in junior classes at Devon last week before stepping up to the biggest test of all with Ocean Road.
She was “just trying to have fun” by competing in the Derby.
Arianna, who will be going to Auburn University when she finishes high school, noted that Hunt is someone “I’ve been watching since I was six or seven years old,” adding at the post-derby press conference, “it’s exciting to be sitting up here.”
Hunt noted the fact that it is only her first derby at Devon makes him nervous, observing, “Colin and I have been sitting side by side for a while now; she’s sneaking up really fast.”
Ariana didn’t have high expectations for what the class would bring.
Ariana Marnell and Ocean Road. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I was just excited to do another round,” she said, referring to making the cut for the top 12. She is, however, no stranger to Devon. Her first national title with Ocean Road was the Junior Hunter Finals at the showgrounds in 2021.
“He really likes Devon,” said Ariana, who moved up from ninth place in the first round to score a 93 in the Handy, the second-highest score in that round.
Colin Syquia, Hunt Tosh and Ariana Marnell. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He’s super easy,” Ariana commented.
“He’s always really good. If there’s a mistake, it’s definitely mine, always.”
Hunt understandably is fond of Devon, but not just because he’s so often a winner here.
I had heard people say the Derby should offer more than $25,000 in prize money, but as Hunt noted, you have to wonder where it would come from. And while more money would be nice, of course, just being able to compete in a derby at Devon is enough.
“Devon to me is one of the most special ones, a show you look forward to every year, even the fact that we’re still able to come here with the development around it,” Hunt observed.
“I’m so lucky to have the owners I do behind me, who stand behind Devon as well. As long as we have Devon, I’ll take whatever they can do. As many times as the gate at the Dixon Oval opens, we want to go in.”
Click here for derby results