Thermal, Calif. – Friday, January 16, marked a banner day for both Gabriela Pattinson and Darya Davoudi as the two riders clinched their first USHJA National Hunter Derby victories.
For Pattinson, her inaugural win came aboard Cat’s Meow in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Open, sponsored by CWD Sellier. Davoudi earned her top honor with Told You So in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Junior/Amateur, sponsored by Vogel. Both classes were held on the Grass Field at Desert International Horse Park as part of Desert Circuit 2.
“It feels pretty amazing!” said Pattinson, noting that the class was Cat’s Meow’s first derby win as well. “The course was great – so nice and so beautiful. The turns were nice. I could just tell that [Cat’s Meow] really loved it.”
Judges Jeanne Marie Dunford-Miller and Keith Hastings loved Cat’s Meow’s round as well, and they rewarded the 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding with scores of 92 and 94 for a 186 winning total. Second place in the 34-horse field went to Jason McArdle and Enrique, owned by Anisa Pourteymour, with a score of 182 (90+92). Finishing in third place with a 181.25 total (88.75+92.5) were Emily Esau Williams and Star Quality, owned by McKee Sport Horses LLC.
Pattinson began riding Cat’s Meow for owner Lisa Hankin at the start of Desert Circuit 2025, and a year later, she considers herself extremely fortunate to be partnered with the young gelding as he continues to progress.
“Jenny [Karazissis] had a fall last year, so she asked me to take over the ride,” explained Pattinson. “It’s been such a cool experience working with Jenny and Kost [Karazissis], and Lisa is one of the most incredible owners that I’ve ever had. They’re really such a big part of the process. It’s been really fun to get to be a part of ‘Kitty’s’ process.”
Pattinson continued, “He’s just magical. His canter feels like you’re riding a cloud. He’s so scopey, he could jump a house. He’s really come a long way. He has a lot of personality, a lot of opinions and a lot of feelings, but when he’s on there’s no beating him!”
For full results of the $10,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Open, sponsored by CWD Sellier, click here.
For Davoudi, it was scores of 92 and 91 that shot her and Told You So straight to the top of the 39-horse class to win the $10,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Junior/Amateur. Finishing just two points behind Davoudi with an overall score of 181 (89+92) was Olivia Aul aboard Elizabeth Aul’s Copyright. Rounding out the podium positions with a score of 179.25 (89.75+89.5) were Elizabeth Gallucci and Loewie.
“Personally, I really like the hunt and go [derbies]! I think they’re really fun,” said Davoudi. “The course designer, [Ken Krome], did a good job of just making it nice and friendly and just very fun overall.”
Davoudi has only been partnered with her winning mount Told You So since this summer, but she and the 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding began seeing great results together right out of the gate.
“He’s just really so amazing,” said Davoudi, who hails from Texas. “He’s very, very lazy, but he’s just so brave to the jumps. It’s almost like the scarier and the bigger the jumps, the better. He kind of shines like that. Just overall, he’s a very special and talented horse.”
Now, Davoudi plans to continue to point Told You So at the 3’6” Small Junior Hunters as she spends her first full circuit at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif.
“Last year was our first year here in the desert, and we were only here for three weeks,” said Davoudi. “We just loved it so much. We had such a great time, and the horses loved it here, so we decided that it would be awesome to come back!”
To view complete results from Friday’s $10,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby – Junior/Amateur, sponsored by Vogel, click here.
Competition at Desert Circuit 2, presented by Kubota, continues through Sunday, with highlights including Saturday night’s $75,000 Kubota Grand Prix. To view a complete schedule and learn more, visit deserthorsepark.com.