Press release from Phelps Media Group, Inc.

Since Tuesday, international horses and athletes have been competing for valuable points towards the 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.

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.

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.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) – 2019 Open Jumper champion and $72,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4* winner

On winning the Open Jumper championship at the Devon Horse Show:
“It’s unbelievable. The atmosphere and crowd is better than anywhere I’ve ever ridden, actually. Everyone gets together and it feels very special. To win the class [and championship] on the last night, it means a lot. I only jumped [Roulette BH] in one other class as a warm-up on Thursday [in the $36,000 Main Line Challenge CSI4*] and he was seventh and clear. The big aim for him for the week was tonight so I was glad that we saved him for it. He performed well tonight.”

On Roulette BH:
“I’ve actually had him for exactly a year today. Last year at Devon was our debut show together. We just did a couple of smaller classes. He’s been such a great horse. He’s very, very careful. We’ve always taken it slow with him and tried to work on his rideability because I’m little and he’s very strong, but that’s all come together in the last six months and now we are able to go fast in the jump-off with control.”

On her rounds on Saturday:
“David Oberkircher had the winning ride before I went in and he actually did seven up the first line and seven down the last line. I kind of stuck to my original plan of eight. [Roulette BH] is a little bit of a quicker horse and just fractionally we beat him. I thought the course in the first round was little tricky, definitely trickier than it walked. It was nice though, it was perfect. Thank you to Becky Gochman for always supporting me and owning such a great horse. I’m lucky to have him.”

On her future plans:
“Hopefully we’ll do a couple of Nations Cups this summer. We’re all going to Europe for a little summer tour with the Gochman family and River’s Edge so I’m excited about that. We’ll get to do some nice shows and get some more experience.”

McLain Ward (USA) – 2019 Open Jumper champion

On his week at the 2019 Devon Horse Show:
“It’s always nice to win another title here. We had a great grand prix night. We had some other young horses here who jumped some very good, clean rounds so it was a good week. The atmosphere is phenomenal and the facility is amazing. We go to Upperville next week.”

On his other horses’ performances at Devon:
“Contagious has been great over the last year but had a long break after Florida — now a month off. He’s a bit rusty. Rapidash is a new horse and is becoming more and more consistent. It’s a horse that I own that is actually for sale and I think he has a big future.”

1. Roulette BH / Amanda Derbyshire / GBR / Gochman Sport Horse LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.28
2. Upper / David Oberkircher / USA / Southfields Farm LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.50
3. Chaccolette / Lillie Keenan / USA / Chansonette Farm LLC / 0 / 0 / 34.68
4. Dsarie / Beat Mändli / SUI / Grant Road Partners GmbH / 0 / 0 / 37.07
5. Iceman De Muze / Schuyler Riley / USA / E2 Show Jumpers / 0 / 0 / 39.36
6. Akuna Mattata / Nicole Shahinian-Simpson / USA / Silver Raven Farms / 0 / 4 / 34.79
7. Galan S / Beat Mändli / SUI / Grand Road Partners LLC / 0 / 4 / 36.18
8. Rapidash / McLain Ward / USA / McLain Ward / 0 / 4 / 36.88
9. Quilimbo / Schuyler Riley / USA / E2 Show Jumpers / 1 / 78.03
10. Atika Des Hauts Vents / Katherine Dinan / USA / Grant Road Partners LLC / 1 / 78.676
11. Super Chilled / Kevin Babington / IRL / Debra J. Wycoff / 4 / 74.12
12. Jakarta / Laura Kraut / USA / St. Bride’s Farm / 4 / 75.36