Molly Graham piloted Cornaidy to victory in the $2,500 Country Lane Farm USHJA 3′ Open National Hunt & Go Derby on Saturday of the Spring Festival, posting a winning score of 181 to top a competitive field at Thunderbird Show Park.
Chelsea Brittner and Encanto finished second with a score of 177, while Sara Petersen and Chaplin took third on 174.
The Hunt & Go Derby format is a single-round competition that seamlessly blends the Classic and Handy hunter rounds into one uninterrupted trip that rewards handiness, adjustability, and boldness. Graham and Cornaidy took both high-option fences, executing a series of tight inside turns and a cleverly shortened track to secure the win.
“I think today [we won it] doing all those tidy inside turns, and then I was really handy to the trot jump – she was really, really good there – and then it ended up being quite an inside line to the last line, so I ended up leaving a stride out and doing seven there,” Graham explained. “It just kind of got a little handier and handier as I went along.”
Cornaidy, a mare owned by Wendy Valdes, is a new to Graham’s string. The pair is still building their partnership, but the results are already turning heads.
“Cornaidy is a new ride for me,” Graham said. “She’s a lovely mare that I’ve actually seen for the last couple years. We’re still getting to know each other, but we’ve done enough classes now where I feel like I’m starting to know her quite well. She’s just so fun. She’s so brave – she never looks at the jump.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the derby season, Graham has high hopes for the mare.
“She’s just been getting better and better, so I think there’s big things in her future,” she said. “She’s just so brave and easy.”
The Country Lane Farm Open USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby returns to tbird in May for the Odlum Brown BC Open and again in June for the West Coast Classic and August’s Summer Fort Classic. The series winner, based on accumulated scores throughout all USHJA National and Hunt & Go Derbies, will be awarded a Butet hunter bridle, martingale and girth. For full class results, visit tbird.ca.
$2,500 Country Lane Farm USHJA Open National Hunt & Go Derby
Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Score
- Cornaidy / Molly Graham / CAN / Wendy Valdes / 181
- Encanto / Chelsea Brittner / CAN / Hazel McLean / 177
- Chaplin / Sara Petersen / USA / Jan O’Brien / 174
- Paddington / Georgia Hunt / CAN / Ellen Brown / 171
- Paraguay HDH / Georgia Hunt / CAN / Ellen Brown / 167
- Nordeney / Gia Zhang / CAN / Catalina Berezan/ 158.5
- Ruston OHF / Leila Templin / CAN / Kristi Lozinski / 158
- Seville / Isabella Ferrara / CAN / Isabella Ferrara / 157.5
- SP Scarlet / Julia Stanley / CAN / Julia Stanley / 156
- Diplomat / Chelsea McNeill / CAN / Lindsay Morrison / 154.5
