LANGLEY, BC – Six teams stepped forward to contest the tbird Hunt & Go Derby Teams Challenge at the Spring Festival, but it was Team Country Lane—aka “Team Tried Our Best”—that stole the show, posting a winning team total of 450 points.

Trained by Channay Lloyd, the squad featured twins Doris and Gia Zhang, both 17, and 14-year-old Zoe Lai. Doris Zhang set the tone early, earning a 142 in the 2’6” section aboard Lioncourt EEF. Her sister Gia then delivered a masterful round in the 3’ section on Nordeney, scoring a 155. Lai sealed the victory on Imothas LS with a 153 in the 3’3″ section, replicating the team’s smooth, consistent strategy.

“For me, I didn’t have any pressure since I went first,” said Doris Zhang.

Gia Zhang admitted to a few more nerves after her sister’s strong start: “I feel really nervous because they already got the first place. I tried to calm down and stay on my rhythm and trust my horse.”

The Hunt & Go derby format is a single-round competition that seamlessly blends the Classic and Handy hunter rounds into one uninterrupted trip. In this team event, three riders per team navigated Lindsay Uyesugi-Lacey’s 11-fence course, each tackling one of three heights: 2’6”, 3’, or 3’3”. Competitors moved directly from the five-fence Classic Round into the six-fence Handy Round, which offered options for tight turns and multiple rollbacks. A single overall score was awarded for each rider’s entire performance, with all three scores counting to the team total.

Derby competition continues this week with Saturday’s Country Lane Open USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby.