The final week of spring competition during the 2025 HITS Hudson Valley Show Series delivered top-tier hunter action from start to finish. Showcasing the best in hunter excellence, the week gave riders the opportunity to sharpen their skills ahead of the highly anticipated HITS Championship Week in September. While Friday’s schedule on June 6 was packed with highlight events, including the prestigious $5,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, and the $2,500 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby, it was Hannah Isop and Lioness that stole the show in the $5,000 ClipMyHorse.tv Classic Qualifier. With their win, they secured a coveted spot in the 2025 $200,000 ClipMyHorse.tv Classic Final .
Riders took to The Ring for one classic hunter round, each hoping to impress a panel of two judges and earn one of just three qualifying spots for the September Final. The beautifully designed course by Mark McGowan of Nantwich, United Kingdom, demanded elegance and accuracy, with every detail of each jumping effort counting toward the final score.
Professional rider Isop rose to the occasion, piloting Tracy Freels’s eight-year-old KWPN mare by Impressive VDL, Lioness, to the top of a competitive field, and earning the lion’s share of the prize money.
“I tried to show off my mare’s lovely style,” enthused Isop, who trains out of her family’s Harkaway Farm in Brewster, New York. “She jumped brilliantly, and we had a lot of fun out there.”
Isop has been successfully campaigning Lioness in the 3’6” Green Hunters following the mare’s transition from the jumper ring, and she praised her partner’s sharp mindset and professionalism.
“She can be a bit of a girl back in the barn, but when she walks into the ring, she’s all business,” explained Isop. “She really took in the atmosphere. Even though it’s a little busy around the arena, she was extremely focused.”
Already an accomplished athlete in the hunter arena, Isop also highlighted how meaningful it is to see classes like this elevate the sport and foster community among professionals.
“It’s exciting for us, as professionals, to have this type of class,” she said. “We’re able to target and prepare for it all summer. It’s a way for us to really showcase our horses’ talents, and hopefully win some money.”
The competition remained tight, with Tori Colvin piloting Gabriel, JT Farm’s 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Azteco VDL x Burggraaf), to a close second-place finish. Jennifer Ritucci and Swoon, Kimberly McCaslin’s 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, claimed the final qualifying spot, finishing in third.
The week also featured a $5,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National hunt-and-go Hunter Derby, giving junior and amateur riders their moment in the spotlight. In a competitive field of 45 entries, junior rider Eleanor Pieters rose to the top, delivering a standout performance aboard Tibri’s So True. The distinct hunt-and-go format challenges riders to complete a classic round before immediately transitioning into the handy phase, with individual scores awarded for each.
Piloting the nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cordess x Darco), owned by Tibri LLC, Pieters set the standard early with a score of 87 in the first round, plus two bonus points for taking the high options. She kept her rhythm and precision in the handy round, earning another 87 and two more bonus points, for a winning total of 178.
“He turns really well, so we were able to make an inside turn that not everybody took,” detailed Pieters. “Other than that, I tried to open his stride up and let him gallop as much as I could.”
Pieters trains with her parents, Annie Dotoli and Fran Pieters, at their family’s Tibri LLC in Chepachet, Rhode Island, and credits HITS for continuing to elevate hunter sport.
“I love these classes on Friday,” she shared. “You have all the seating around The Ring, the jumps are beautiful, and the courses are great. It’s an awesome atmosphere.”
The competition remained fierce until the final rounds. Junior rider Emma Brody guided Brody Sporthorses’s Corzico Melloni Z, an eight-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Cornet Obolensky x Cala Millor Hann), to a close second-place finish with a score of 175.50. Amateur rider Elizabeth Schrock and Billy Houston, Mya Borysiak’s 12-year-old Anglo-European Sporthorse (Tangelo vd Zuuthoeve x Amanti), rounded out the top three with a score of 168.5.
Eleanor Pieters continued her winning streak in the $2,500 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby with yet another standout ride. This time, she piloted Allie-Ross Thomas’s Hidden Treasure to top scores, earning a two-round total of 170 points to take home the win. Addison Vasta followed close behind aboard Tegan Price’s Voxton Dude Perfect, securing second place with a score of 160. Rounding out the podium was Esmee Smith, who earned a final tally of 156 with Michael Kirby’s KT Bedazzled.
Michael Desiderio continued his winning streak in the $5,000 USHJA National hunt-and-go Hunter Derby, claiming back-to-back victories aboard Cocolores. Piloting Debbie Bianco’s 11-year-old Warmblood gelding (Casiro I x Raphael), Desiderio topped the leaderboard with a two-round total of 178.50. Close behind was Emily Williams, who earned the runner-up spot with a combined score of 178 aboard Lisonas Gold, a six-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Stakkato Gold x Obos Quality 004) owned by Maarten Huygens. Desiderio also secured third place, this time riding Imperial’s High Altitude, a seven-year-old Selle Français gelding by Tresor, also owned by Bianco, to a final score of 175.25.
As the final week of the spring circuit at HITS Hudson Valley concludes, the 2025 HITS Hudson Valley Show Series resumes on Wednesday, July 16, with the start of the Hudson Valley Jumping Tour®, promising more thrilling weeks of top-caliber competition.
