Lexington, Ky. – Aug. 20, 2018 – Known for her prowess in the hunter ring, Victoria Colvin capped off a winning week in Kentucky at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show with her exceptional victory in the 2018 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, making her one of only two riders in the program’s history to capture the tricolor more than once. The 2017 champion solidified her reign as one of the country’s elite hunter riders by besting more than 80 entries in the most premiere hunter competition of the year. This time, Colvin piloted Brad Wolf’s Private Practice to two days of standout scores in the classic and handy round to finish more than 16 points ahead of the rest of the pack, claiming the championship honors in impressive fashion.
“I am so thrilled to be on the top of the podium again this year! Private Practice is an outstanding horse with so much natural ability, and I have loved riding him this year. He certainly deserves this win, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for him,” commented Colvin. “I couldn’t have gotten here without the support of my sponsors, and I have to also congratulate owner Brad Wolf and trainer Tom Wright for producing such an incredible horse. Hopefully we can do it again next year!”
After the first day of competition, Colvin and Private Practice sat in second position just a handful of points behind the early leaders. During the final handy round of riding, the partners improved upon their performance, riding to a nearly perfect score of 327 comprised of individual marks of 95, 96 and 96 plus 12 bonus points and 28 handy points to jump to the top of the leaderboard with the highest score for the evening and overall.
In the post-event press conference, judge Carlton Brooks shed his insight on what set Colvin and Private Practice ahead of the rest:
“Tori’s horse jumped every jump exactly the same. She never changed her pace. It really separated her and there was no question. Tori never missed a lick. Tori walked in the ring and it was the Tori Colvin that we all know and love,” reflected Brooks.
The 8-year-old Private Practice is a newfound hunter after recently transitioning from the jumper ring, and this is his first year with Colvin in the irons. The solid partnership was led to victories in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the Palm Beach Masters Series’ Deeridge Derby and the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Aiken Charity Horse Show. Additionally, he has carried Colvin to fourth place in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival and sixth place in the prestigious $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Winter Equestrian Festival, not to mention countless prizes in upper-level hunter divisions at horse shows throughout the year.
With their 2018 win, Private Practice helped Colvin to add her to the history books, as she can now boast her status as the second athlete to champion the event more than once as well as the second athlete to win the rosette back-to-back during the program’s 10-year history. With two championships now under her belt, it is a good bet Colvin will continue to reign in the hunter ring and return to the 2019 finale for another shot at the top honors.
Following a highly successful junior career as one of the winningest young riders in history, Colvin launched her own enterprise in the hunter/jumper industry based just outside of Wellington, Florida. She offers clients the opportunity to train with an acclaimed show rider/trainer and compete in “AA” horse shows across North America during the spring and fall, as well as compete in Wellington at the world-famous Winter Equestrian Festival during the winter season. Outside of training and coaching services, Victoria Colvin, LLC also includes a strong focus on finding, developing, and selling quality young show horses.
To read the full coverage of Colvin’s Derby win, please click here.
For more information, please visit www.victoriacolvin.com
