Keri Guanciale and Quintero Garner $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Victory at the Lexington Spring Encore

Lexington, Va. – May 1, 2026 – Spectators gathered at the Wiley Arena on Friday afternoon at the Virginia Horse Center as top horse-and-rider combinations vied for the winning honors in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby during the Lexington Spring Encore Horse Show. Keri Guanciale and Quintero captured the judges’ attention as soon as they stepped into the ring, and with two beautiful rounds they earned impressive scores of 82 and 90.5 to take home the winning title. Emerson Nolte and Blue Jay Way followed closely in second place, while Guanciale also earned the third-place award with her second mount, Blue Harbor, to close out Derby Day, sponsored by Triple Crown.

“Quintero was phenomenal in both rounds today – I was thrilled with him,” smiled Guanciale after her win. “I’ve had him for two years. A trainer friend actually sent him to us to sell and I fell in love with him! I was like, ‘Oh, this is not good. I think I’ll buy him!’ He is like a puppy dog. When I come in the morning, he’ll see me and he’ll start to whinny. He is so sweet.”

The classic round of the derby featured a beautiful, flowing course for horses to showcase their mounts. The top 12 were invited to return for the handy where they began with a direct approach to the first oxer and made a rollback to the first of four high options. They continued with an in-and-out to a high option going toward the gate before rolling back to the trot fence and making a final rollback to the last oxer.

Guanciale returned with her veteran partner Blue Harbor first, and used the opportunity to perfect the turns in the handy. Their smooth round was rewarded with an 88 for a total score of 167. Nolte also laid down a beautiful handy round with Blue Jay, moving just ahead of Guanciale and Blue Harbor after earning a handy score of 90 for a two-round total of 171. The duo also took home the Best Turned Out Award, presented by Tull MD, for their pristine grooming, braiding, and tack. Guanciale was next in the ring with Quintero and left nothing to chance – taking all four high options and making brilliant rollbacks that were rewarded with a score of 90.5 and a total score of 172.5 to lead the lap of honor.

“I got to go in on Blue Harbor first, who I know like the back of my hand, so I practiced all those turns and they worked great, so I knew I was going to stick with the same plan for Quintero,” explained Guanciale. “He just jumped phenomenally – he was jumping really hard for me.”

Guanciale has been attending the Virginia Festival of Champions at the Virginia Horse Center since she was riding ponies, and it is always one of her favorite shows in the spring. “We absolutely love it,” she concluded. “They’ve done major improvements. The size of the rings and the footing is great. It’s a very horse-friendly facility. The horses come here, and it’s like a breath of fresh air.”

Earlier in the day, the Anderson Coliseum hosted the the $1,000 Virginia Festival of Champions (VFOC) 2’9″/3′ Hunter Derby, where Devon Schwartz earned the top honors with Flayders. Morgan Munz and Cambridge placed second, while Hailey Swann and Basalt rounded out the top three.

The next event was the $1,000 VFOC 2’6″/2’3” Hunter Derby to round out Triple Crown Derby Day. Claire Oliver took home the winning title aboard Champlain’s Houdini, while the second-place prize went to Grace Dobler and Rita’s Rabbit. The third-place prize went to Billie Rose Little Tepper riding Cooperstown.

The Lexington Spring Encore continues through Sunday at the Virginia Horse Center, with Saturday evening’s highlight event being the $25,000 George P. Ohrstrom Grand Prix. The Festival of Champions carries on in August during the Lexington National Horse Show, featuring top-tier competition in both the hunter and jumper rings.