Thermal, Calif. – October 30, 2026 – Two $15,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derbies attracted 82 total entries to the Grass Field at Desert International Horse Park for the first derby day of the 2026-2027 DIHP season. Taking home the top honors on Friday, October 30, during National Sunshine Series 1, presented by Kubota, were Jill Humphrey on Valentino BF and AJ Felix aboard Canberra.
Humphrey kicked things off with victory in the $15,000 CWD Sellier USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Open, topping a field of 53 horses. She and Valentino BF earned scores of 92 and 89 over the Archer Bailey-designed course to shoot straight to the top of the leaderboard with a 181 overall score. Second place with an overall score of 179 (90+89) went to Dustin Goodwin and Reputation, and Jenny Karazissis and Big Shot took home third on a score of 178.5.
“I’m so proud of him,” said Humphrey of Valentino BF. The 6-year-old Oldenburg stallion was bred, born and raised by owners Branscomb Farms LLC – which always makes his success even sweeter for Humphrey and all of Valentino BF’s connections.
“It’s extra special for everybody on his team to have known him from birth and see him come along,” said Humphrey. “He’s just mature beyond his years and so fun to ride. This was his first time showing on the grass, so that was a fun, new experience for him, and he just handled it beautifully. He just kept answering all the questions perfectly.”
Humphrey continued by praising the course that rewarded big, flowing movement. “It had plenty of options to kind of open up the stride and really show off the horse’s movement in between the jumps,” she said. “The jumps themselves were gorgeous. It looked like a dream out there.”
In the $15,000 Valencia Sport Saddlery USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Junior/Amateur, Felix and Canberra scored an 87 over the classic portion of the course and an 88.25 over the handy portion for a winning total score of 175.25.
Second place with a 174 (86+88) went to Karen Kang and Excalibur 133, and Maya Varga and Watermark placed third on 172.25 (85.25+87).
The win continues an impressive string of results for Canberra, a sales horse who has now won derbies at back-to-back shows. She won a derby the first week she showed in the junior hunter, as well as at her last show before shipping to the desert and picking up right where she left off in Thermal.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Felix said. “There were a lot of single jumps, so that was very nice. It was a great environment. I think it’s only her first or second time out on the grass, so that was really nice. The jumps were beautiful, and she was super impressed. She jumped a 10.”