Nicole Bourgeois and Mc Queen Reign in $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby

Thermal, Calif. – Nicole Bourgeois and Mc Queen claimed the crown in the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Hermès and held on Friday, December 5, at Desert Holiday 1.

In a performance fit for royalty, Bourgeois and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare led the class from beginning to end to take the win on the Grass Field at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif.

“[Mc Queen] loves a big grass field,” said Bourgeois of the horse owned by Barbara Lovre. “We are from Oregon, so they get to go out in big grass fields, and our barn that we’re at actually has a huge grass polo field that we get to ride in. So, my horses are very comfortable out on the grass. She loves it out there. Who can’t love it out there? It’s so beautiful. It’s my favorite field to ride in.”

Bourgeois and Mc Queen’s comfort on the Grass Field was apparent right out of the gate as the pair shot to the top of the leaderboard with a first-round score of 186.

“The first round felt really good,” said Bourgeois. “[Mc Queen] felt super relaxed and very quiet out there. I was really happy with her overall. I loved the course. I thought [course designer Meghan Rawlins] did a great job. It’s so fun because [Meghan] has obviously done [the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championships] and all the big stuff, so I love it when she sets the courses because we get to kind of have a little bit of a taste of what they do at Derby Finals and all those big venues.”

In the handy round, Bourgeois and Mc Queen only furthered their lead, earning a second-round score of 191.5 for a winning 377.5 total. Second place with an overall score of 366 (180 + 186) went to Michael Dennehy and Hulla-Balou, owned by Dana Vollbracht. Finishing in third place – and also earning the win in the $1,000 U25 overlay – was Skylar Wireman who rode MJ and Todd Kaplan’s Crunch K to a total score of 359.5 (169 + 190.5).

Bourgeois concluded, “[Mc Queen] is the best. I’m very lucky because she’s my derby mount. I don’t have to share her with anyone. Her owner is amazing and bought her for me. It’s pretty cool to have a horse that was purchased for me that I just get to ride. I’m very lucky because we’ve had that partnership, so we know each other really well, and I trust her completely. I think she trusts me too!”

Now, Mc Queen and Bourgeois will return to Oregon before heading back to DIHP during the upcoming Desert Circuit.

“She’ll go home and get to hang in her grass field for a little while and grow some hair,” said Bourgeois. “We’ll freeze our butts off at home for about six weeks, and then we’ll come back for Desert Circuit 5!”

To view complete results from Friday’s $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Hermès, click here. For more information on all competition at Desert International Horse Park, visit deserthorsepark.com.