The hunter arenas at HITS Hudson Valley on July 23-27, 2025 saw an influx of top talent from across the country as professional, junior, and amateur hunter riders flocked in. Setting the stage for the second of three weeks in the popular Hudson Valley Jumping Tour®, competition throughout the week featured the prestigious World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) recognition and afforded competitors with the opportunity to gain valuable points towards the end of the year. Carrying on with what is fondly known as “Derby Friday,” the $5,000 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby saw Jennifer Ritucci, of Franklin, Massachusetts, and Diamond City secure a second win in as many weeks.
A field of 40 horse-and-rider combinations contested the hunt-and-go track in the venue’s Hunter Stadium , aiming to impress judges Ryan Roy and Phillip Long with their flow and handiness. Aboard Diamond City, Ritucci and Serenity Wolk’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Diarado left little to chance. Pairing a score of 90.00 in the classic portion with an impressive score of 93.00 in the handy, the duo dominated with a leading overall score of 183.00 points.
“This is only her second hunter derby, and her first one was last week, which she also won,” explained Ritucci. “She is incredibly brave and really game, so I knew it would be a fun course for her.
“It was a course that focused more on the brilliance of your canter and how well you could execute some of the inside turns,” she continued. “I knew since both of my rides were a little bit inexperienced, I just played it safe and showed off her gallop. A lot of horses I saw backed off to the last two jumps because they were impressive, so I just let mine take their time at the end so I could gallop to those two jumps.”
Having her eyes firmly set on the prize for the morning’s events, Ritucci also piloted her second mount, Karen Eisenhauer’s 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding by Solid Gold Z, Solar Gold Z, into the runner-up position on a total score of 181.00 points. In the irons of Ocean Edge Farm’s six-year-old Warmblood gelding by Chacfly PS, C’est La Vie, Laura Bowery, of Bridgehampton, New York, rounded out the top three on a total of 179.80 points.
Despite being the second derby of the day, hunter competition was just getting started as a field of 36 entries tackled the course in the $5,000 USHJA Amateur National Hunter Derby, while a starting lineup of 41 pairings finished out Derby Friday in the $5,000 USHJA Junior National Hunter Derby.
Producing scores of 88.00 and 92.00, the win in the amateur event went to Jean Sheptoff, of Littleton, Massachusetts, and her seven-year-old KWPN mare by Jacadello, Adelina. Just a fraction off the mark, Caroline Rattigan, ofBerwyn, Pennsylvania, claimed second with her own Critic’s Choice, while Paige Nyren and Haribo Blue concluded the victory gallop.
Addison Litman, of New York, New York, rode to a new high as she piloted Fancy Pants Equestrian LLC’s 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Stakkato, Cloud 9, to the highest-placing position in the afternoon’s junior edition of derby competition with a total score of 175.00 points. Juliette Pletka, of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and G-Star came the closest to catching the winning combination on a score of 172.50 points, while Genevieve Hay, of Ithaca, New York, and CC Unstoppable TF’s score of 170.15 proved good enough for third.
The final week of competition during the Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® will resume Wednesday, July 30, as athletes vie one last time to add their name to a winning title.
