Lexington, KY – August 1, 2026 – It was derby day during World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week at the Kentucky Summer Classic, presented by Rood and Riddle. Professional and junior/amateur riders gathered to compete in the $7,500 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby and $7,500 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby in the Stonelea Ring to kick off the day. Michael Desiderio showed the way in the $7,500 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby with Imperial’s High Altitude, while Payton Blackwell and Jaipur led from start to finish to win the $7,500 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby.
Kevin Holowack designed the beautiful courses for Saturday’s highlight event in the Stonelea Ring. The welcoming first round allowed riders to showcase their horses’ style over the fences, while the handy course offered more dynamic options, including a very sharp rollback to the first fence, a log trot fence, and a final hand gallop to the last oxer near the gate.
Michael Desiderio & Imperial’s High Altitude. Photos by Winslow Photography
The $7,500 USHJA Open National Hunter Derby got underway first, where Michael Desiderio climbed the ranks with Imperial’s High Altitude, executing a brilliant handy round that was rewarded with a score of 92. Combined with a first round score of 87, the duo’s total score of 179 garnered the winning title. They finished just half a point ahead of Ellie Ferrigno and Miraculous, who led the first round with a score of 90 and earned an 88.5 in the handy for second place overall. Megan Young rounded out the top three aboard Quew De Kreisker Z, taking the early lead in the handy with a score of 91 and overall total score of 176. In the end, it was Desiderio’s rhythmic handy that topped the leaderboard, and he returned to lead the victory gallop.
Ellie Ferrigno & Miraculous
Megan Young & Quew De Kreisker Z
“I’m very happy with my horses, and it’s good to be here,” said Desiderio after his win. “I had two in the handy. My first horse, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to try to be slick, try to make all the inside turns.’ Even though I did that, I wasn’t really rewarded for it, so I planned to come back on my second one and take a conservative route, but have a little bit more rhythm around the whole track, and they seem to like that one better.”
Imperial’s High Altitude is an 8-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Debbie Bianco that Desiderio shows in the 3’3” Performance Hunters and the Derbies, while Bianco shows him in the Adult Hunters. “He’s quite simple,” explained Desiderio. “He’s a little bit of a push ride – you just keep cantering, and he looks for the jumps. He’s exactly what you want – big step, brave horse, careful enough. He’s an all-around awesome horse!”
The next event in the Stonelea Ring was the $7,500 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby where Payton Blackwell had a dominating performance with Jaipur, leading from start to finish with two beautiful rounds. She scored a 90 in the first round, and then returned for the handy to earn an 89 for a 179 total. The second place prize went to Kate Mongiardo and Conspiracy Theory with scores of 88 and 90. The high score in the handy round belonged to third-place finisher Melissa Jacobs, who earned an 86.5 and a 91 with Bauer. Blackwell concluded the highlight event by accepting the winning title and leading the lap of honor.
“My horse was great,” expressed Blackwell about the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Zachary Parks. “I loved the course – I thought that it was pretty open and flowing. During the handy, I wanted to have a consistent round and take a few chances. Jaipur needs a very soft but confident ride.
Blackwell concluded, “I love the Kentucky Horse Park. I love the rings, the footing, and the decorations for the jumps are amazing!”
The Kentucky Summer Classic is coming to a close, but several horse and rider combinations will be continuing their trip to Kentucky. Many have gathered to prepare for the 2026 Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship, the Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, and the 2026 USEF Pony Finals, which will all take place this month at the Kentucky Horse Park. For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
