Lexington, KY – May 16, 2025 – Derby day returned on Friday afternoon for the second week of the Kentucky Spring Series at the Kentucky Horse Park. Jacob Pope and Hardrock Harmonie SIH showcased the wonderful partnership that they have developed over the last year, leading the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby from start to finish. They finished just ahead of Augusta Iwasaki and Small Love, who placed second, while Natalie Jayne and Starstruck rounded out the top three.
“I was so close last week, we were second, so it was a really nice feeling to come back and win today. He’s a fantastic horse!” smiled Pope.
Friday’s highlight event featured two courses designed by Bobby Murphy. The classic round used natural fences that included four high options to gain extra points, as well as an in-and-out. The top 12 were invited to return for the handy course, where they used inside turns and direct routes to garner higher scores from the judges. The handy round included a rollback to the first fence toward the ingate, a natural trot fence, another rollback to the second-to-last jump, and a long gallop to the final fence.
Augusta Iwasaki & Small Love. Photos by: Winslow Photography
Pope and Hardrock Harmonie SIH went early in the order, seventh out of 24, earning a base score of 91 and taking all four high options for a first-round score of 95. Jayne and Starstruck followed in eighth, scoring a 90 with the high options for a total of 94, just one point behind Pope. Iwasaki and Small Love went ninth, posting a base score of 88 and taking all four high options to finish on a 92.
In the handy, Jayne laid down a lovely round, earning a base score of 84.5 and again taking all four high options to finish with an 88.5, bringing her overall total to 182.5. Iwasaki went all in with a beautiful handy round, scoring 87 plus four for the high options to finish on a 91, narrowly edging out Jayne with a final total of 183. Pope maintained his lead with a strong handy round, scoring a 90 and adding four more points for the high options to finish with a 94 and a winning overall total of 189.
Natalie Jayne & Starstruck
“He’s very skilled at the handies – that’s where he wins a lot. He stays really level and quiet, so I was mostly just trying to do as many tight turns as I could without interrupting his flow,” explained Pope.
Hardrock Harmonie SIH is a 9-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Eva Kennedy and Whitney Caldwell that Pope has been riding for about a year. “I’m ecstatic,” said Caldwell. “I imported him as a Grand Prix prospect and broke him myself. The minute I felt his canter, I knew he was a hunter. He’s the most natural hunter I’ve ever met – he needs zero prep other than a light canter on the buckle around the ring. This is just him.”
Jacob Pope & Hardrock Harmonie SIH
Pope has enjoyed competing at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Kentucky Spring Series, “These last couple of weeks have been amazing. They’ve got 3* competition, they’ve got derbies, and last week was WCHR week which was really nice.” said Pope, “I’ve mentioned it before, but it really does go noticed the new jumps and amount of upgrades they’ve put into the show facility. It’s been wonderful showing here.”
Hunter action will continue on Saturday as junior riders showcase their mounts during the $1,500 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby. For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
