Jamie Sailor & Skyhawk Rise to the Occasion in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby
Photo © ESI Photography
For Immediate Release:
THERMAL, Calif. – December 11, 2020 – Jamie Sailor (Moorpark, CA) and Skyhawk rose to the occasion in Friday’s $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, sponsored by Makoto Farms. The pair navigated through Michael Pegg’s Classic Round to earn scores of 92 and 91 for a 183 total and topped the field with their Handy Round scores of 102 and 104 for a 206 total. In second place was Nick Haness (Temecula, CA) aboard Ecole Lathrop’s Eclair for their scores of 181 and 199. Haness also rounded out the top three, but this time with Double Down Farm LLC’s Caldiano with scores of 185 and 185.
Sailor and Skyhawk are a new partnership under Meadow Grove Farm and today’s class was only their second USHJA International Derby together.
Photo © ESI Photography
“These are the first two weeks I have been working fully for Meadow Grove. I can’t thank Mike Edrick enough for all the years building me to the rider I am today,” reflected Sailor. “When I knew I was going to be able to ride Skyhawk now at Meadow Grove, I was ecstatic. There’s definitely a bit of pressure because he is such a phenomenal horse.”
The pair sat second going into the Handy Round behind Haness and Caldiano. Fences 5 and 6 in the Handy Round were a two-stride with a high option that rode directly to Fence 7, a trot fence. “With the two stride, I did the high option […] I thought he jumped super out of the two and came right back to me. That got a lot of people in the Handy round and I think we mastered that which made me really happy,” Sailor shared.
Sailor was also awarded with a $500 STX Vans Rider Bonus for her winning ride in today’s International Derby: “He was really, really good. There were a lot of good efforts out there and I am super happy with how he went in both rounds. I can’t stop smiling.”
About the Desert International Horse Park
With nearly 1.3 million square feet of competition and riding space, the Desert International Horse Park is one of the largest equestrian facilities in North America. Offering multiple weeks of world-class equestrian competition from October through March, the facility is a destination location for thousands of equestrians, their horses, family and friends for several months annually. Competitors from all over the world travel to Thermal, CA to not only compete but to enjoy everything the desert has to offer.