Lexington National Friday Wrap-up
| Photo above, pictured left to right: Anne Marie Rooks. Mike and Betsy Rooks, Guy Cambria and Tiffany Cambria |
The $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by MJR Horse Transportation, kicked off Triple Crown Derby Day in the Anderson Coliseum and welcomed twenty-five horse and rider teams on the hunt for the blue. Nancy Wallis of Ewing, New Jersey, designed the course, which was welcoming and had plenty of bending lines and options for the Handy round.
Sabrina Hellman’s Not to Worry, ridden by Tiffany Cambria, won the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by MJR Horse Transportation, after earning an overall score of 181.
The pair teamed up in 2023 and have had a successful time in the Derbies. Cambria said he [Not to Worry] placed in the top 12 in Kentucky last year and succeeded the previous winter in the 3’ Derbies in Florida at WEC. “We won the Week 12 $75,000 National Hunter Derby at WEC and then took a small break and just let him be a horse for a little bit,” said Cambria. The pair recently won back-to-back National Derbies in New Jersey.
“He’s such a sweet horse,” said Cambria. “He’s easy to get ready, doesn’t require much prep, and just comes out of his stall ready to do his job. He has a lot of heart and is just a joy to have at home. He is truly a special horse.”
Cartel, owned and ridden by Jeffrey Ayers, earned second with a score of 177, and EMO Stables’ Sidenote, ridden by Kate Conover, finished in third with a score of 176.5. The pair were also awarded the Laura Pickett Award. Sidenote was the leading overall National Hunter Derby Horse over the three weeks of the 2024 Virginia Festival of Champions.