Thermal, Calif. – Katie Gardner and Dark Harbor came from behind to clinch the win in the $10,000 Sea Horse Riding Club USHJA National Hunter Derby – Open on Friday, February 6, at Desert International Horse Park.
Held during Desert Circuit 5’s World Championship Hunter Rider week, the competitive class attracted 50 entries to the Grand Prix Stadium to take on the course set by designer Kevin Holowack.
At the end of round one, Gardner and Dark Harbor sat in eighth place with a score of 90.25. However, a handy-round score of 94 would soon shoot Gardner and the 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood straight to the top of the leaderboard with an overall score of 184.25.
Finishing in second place with a score of 183.25 (91.25+92) were Lindsay Stefanko and In Theory, owned by Abbey Lane Farm Inc. Taking home a very close third place on a 183 total score (92.5+90.5) were Quinn Partridge and By the Numbers, owned by Aspen Hill Farm LLC.
“It was awesome to be coming from behind and knowing I had another horse ahead of it so I could just really relax and feel the rhythm,” said Gardner. “[Dark Harbor] never swaps and doesn’t even rub, so I could just go out there and cruise around. It’s a nice feeling to know that they can do anything!”
Dark Harbor, owned by Monarch Farms LLC, is a new addition to the team, with Gardner just beginning to ride the gelding during December’s Desert Holiday horse shows.
“We knew this would be his forte!” said Gardner of the horse better known as “Robbie in the barn. “He also does the equitation. We’ve been gearing him up for the [USHJA International Hunter Derby] next week, and this is just his jam. He loves it so much. He is the bravest horse I’ve ever ridden in my life. You can point him at any obstacle, any time.”
Gardner continued, “We were going to do a couple of hunter classes in here this week, and we decided just to do the warm-up last night to keep him a little fresher. It seemed to be a good strategy. I did some jumper classes this week to get him turning. This second course in particular, the handy round, was very twisty turny, so it worked out well.”
For full results of the $10,000 Sea Horse Riding Club USHJA National Hunter Derby – Open, click here.
Also earning hunter derby wins on Friday were Michelle Berry and Olivia Aul.
With scores of 90 and 89.5, Berry and Well Chosen, owned by Valerie Cooper, led the $10,000 FOBI USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior from beginning to end to take home the win on a total score of 179.5. For full results of the class, click here.
In the $10,000 FOBI USHJA National Hunter Derby – Amateur, it was Aul’s turn to shine, and she continued a derby-winning streak with her own Cheers!. The pair rode away with the win on a score of 183 (90+93), while second place went to Gabriella Anzelc and Golden Hour Z with a score of 179 (87+92). Rounding out the top three on a 175.5 (89.5+86) were Pearl Theodosakis and Comtess. To view all results, click here.
With 10 weeks of top-caliber competition, Desert Circuit at Desert International Horse Park continues through March 15, 2026. To learn more and to view a complete schedule of events, visit deserthorsepark.com.