Hunter competition dominated The Ring at HITS Hudson Valley on Friday, July 18, 2025, as part of the exciting week of action during HITS Hudson Valley IV. Featuring elite hunter, jumper, and equitation classes, the week is part of the summer-long series running at the popular destination in Saugerties, New York. While international show jumping sport thrilled spectators in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium, it was a day full of hunter derbies that kept riders busy in The Ring. The day concluded with twelve top pairings battling it out in the $5,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Classic Qualifier in the hopes of qualifying for the $200,000 ClipMyHorse.tv Hunter Classic Final in September. Ultimately, it was the stylish round of Evan Coluccio, of Marshall, Virginia, and Simba de Vinck that earned the pinnacle position.
As one of the last remaining qualifiers before the prestigious and high-stakes Final held during HITS Hudson Valley VIII, the field of competitors was a stacked list of strong contenders. With the victory following the single, classic round format, it was anyone’s game. Course designer Danny Foster put forward a flowing and intricate hunter course, featuring a variety of brightly colored and noteworthy fences with elegant additions by HITS design partner, Equestrian Gardens. Judges William Sparks and John Colon had the challenge of determining the best partnership over the fences, and while there were certainly several excellent options to chose from, Coluccio’s performance with Hidden Ridge’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Untouchable proved to be the standout.
“Simba is one of a kind; he’s absolutely amazing and I’m very lucky he came into my life two years ago,” gushed Coluccio. “I’ve had a lot of fun with developing him, but this was my first real hunter class with him, so there were definitely some uncharacteristic nerves.”
Simba de Vinck is no stranger to top placings at HITS, having earned the victory in the $40,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Great American Insurance Group, during the 2025 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit under the guidance of top hunter professional Kate Conover.
“Normally Kate Connover is his rider in these hunter classes, but she was in Michigan and he hadn’t shown, so I decided to bring him with me and see if I could qualify,” explained Coluccio. “He tries so hard always to win, so as long as the rider does their job, he’s not there to let you down.
“They’ve done amazing with this venue and it shows because the quality of horses in this class was impressive,” he continued. “It was anybody’s game today, and I’m thrilled that I won, but I would’ve been content with any placing really because everybody had good rounds. It’s really special to see all these great horses getting together and being here.”
The second qualifying spot went to Laena Romond of Brookefield, Connecticut, and Heritage Farm, Inc’s seven-year-old Zangersheide gelding by For Pleasure, Fellow Z, while David Wilbur, of Ocala, Florida, piloted last year’s Final winner, Marita Zuraitis’s 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Acodetto 2, Four Aces, into the third and final qualifying position.
Prior to the afternoon’s main event, competitors of all ages competed in what is deemed as Derby Friday at the venue. The morning started off with Adriana Forte of Water Mill, New York, and First Blue LLC’s 10-year-old Warmblood gelding by Cornet Obolensky, Square Won, dominating a total of 36 horse-and-rider combinations in the $5,000 USHJA Junior National Hunter Derby. Combining her classic score of 92.00 with a handy total of 88.50 in the hunt-and-go event, the two totaled a 180.50 overall score for the win.
Simultaneously, 26 pony riders vied for the prize in the $5,000 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby in the Hunter 1arena. At the completion of the hunt-and-go track, Seraphina Capano, of Haverford, Pennsylvania, and Foxleigh, LLC’s 17-year-old Welsh Pony gelding by Smallwood Paris, V.H. Paris Fox, wore the winning colors, earning an overall total of 170.50 points.
Following the completion of the juniors, 26 pairings contended the hunt-and-go track of the $5,000 USHJA Amateur National Derby, but it was Lily Barnard’s, of Mill Neck, New York, overall score of 174.50 points with her own six-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Glenfiddich VDL, Ozera, that earned the eventual tricolor ribbon.
Rounding out the Derby Day events in The Ring, 31 top contenders gave it their all in an effort to win the $5,000 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby. With four entries total in the class, professional Jennifer Ritucci, of Franklin, Massachusetts, stacked the deck with talent and emerged as both the first- and third-place winner with Diamond City and Swoon, respectively.
“This is actually her first derby; she is only seven years old,” stated Ritucci of Serenity Wolk’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Diarado, Diamond City, with whom she totaled 177.50 points for the win. “We are bringing her to incentive finals, so we thought doing her in a different ring with impressive jumps would be a good plan for her.
“She is just so brave and has a great expression,” she continued. “She’s so happy to go in and do her job. She’s slow but jumps very impressive, and she is just now transitioning to the hunters, so this was a big weekend for her!”
Keirstin Scott, ofNewburgh, New York, split the difference with J T Farm’s 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Azteca VDL, Gabriel, earning a total of 177.00 points for second place over Ritucci’s score of 175.65, which earned third with Kimberly McCaslin’s 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Swoon.
Hunter competition at HITS Hudson Valley will resume with the highly-anticipated World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week on July 23, 2025. Full results can be found at showmanagementsystem.com.
