Abigail Steller and Mercurius II S seem to have a knack for kicking off Desert Circuit with a big win. In 2024, the pair topped the Desert Circuit 1 $2,500 Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3” Classic, and this time they rode away with the win in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior/Amateur, sponsored by Platinum Performance and held on Friday, January 10.
“I expected nothing [coming into today], especially with all the devastating fires that are happening in Los Angeles County,” said Steller. “I just came here to ride and get away from reality, as we all do. I didn’t expect my first 90 on him! That’s what makes it that much more special. He and I really have a good understanding of each other. It’s been so fun.”
Abigail Steller and Mercurius II S. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Steller and the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion Mercurius II S, owned by Steller’s Summerhouse Farm, LLC, have been partnered for the past three years, and they have been working their way up the ranks – and toward the score of 90 that they earned on Friday – since the beginning.
“Our focus over the winter before we came was to really get in tune with each other where we could just really have that non-verbal communication,” explained Steller. “We’ve been really working on our partnership. He’s just cool, calm and collected no matter what. I know I can always trust him in any situation – whether it be at a big oxer or a tiny vertical or the trot fence even. He’s Mr. Reliable.”
That certainly proved to be the case on Friday, as Mercurius II S earned scores of 90 and 89 for a two-round winning score of 179. Second place, with scores of 91 and 83 for a 174 total, went to Madison Wu and Barman des Ponts, and third place with an overall score of 173 went to Gabriella Anzelc and Dia Balou.
Abigail Steller and Mercurius II S. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“I always look forward to the Desert Circuit,” concluded Steller, who was cheered on in the USHJA National Hunter Derby by her 3-year-old daughter, Hera. “The Desert International Horse Park has really come a long way from when we first started coming here in 2007 to now. I’m really grateful for Platinum Performance for sponsoring this class, and I’m really grateful for the management group for putting on these beautiful shows. I went to Florida for a while, and it didn’t quite do it for me, so it’s really quite lovely having it in my backyard.”
To view the full results of the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior/Amateur, sponsored by Platinum Performance, visit dihp.showgroundslive.com.