Del Mar, Calif. — The 2024 edition of the Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship came to a close on Wednesday with new champions crowned across seven sections along with two new grand champions. Simply Spectacular and Kate Parker took home the top spot in the 3’6” height and Silver Tops and Anabelle Kottler won the 3’3” title after three phases of exceptional hunter competition hosted at HITS Del Mar at Del Mar Horsepark.
3’6” Grand Champion: Simply Spectacular and Kate Parker
Kate Parker (Laguna Beach, Calif.) rode her own Simply Spectacular (Chatender x Stakkata), a 2014 Hanoverian gelding, to a wire-to-wire win across all three phases of the 3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division. They earned a total score of 263.82.
“He’s just so special—he catches your eye as soon as he walks in the ring,” said Parker. “I just wanted to be consistent. He’s really green so he has that aspect, but he was perfect. He listened to everything I asked him to do. He jumped great. It was a lot of pressure, but I just wanted to put in a great round and he really tried for me.”
Parker’s next chapter in her equestrian story begins in a few weeks when she begins her first year at Auburn University where she’ll be a member of their formidable NCEA equestrian team.
“This was my last show doing the junior hunters, and going out with a bang was what I wanted, and it was perfect,” said Parker. “I’m excited to see these horses on their next journey.”
Fresh off a win at the Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East with Babylon, Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) and Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s Ever So Often (Arko III x Loeka Van De Distelhoeve), a 2014 Belgian Warmblood mare, were the 3’6” reserve grand champion after winning the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 section with a 262.6. Twain, a 2015 Hanoverian gelding owned by Becky Equestrian LLC and Violet Tatum were close behind with a 262.42, winning the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under and finishing third overall.
3’6” Overall Grand Championship
1. Simply Spectacular and Kate Parker
2. Ever So Often and Paige Walkenbach
3. Twain and Violet Tatum
3’6” Small Junior Hunter 16-17
1. Ever So Often and Paige Walkenbach 262.6
2. Nightlife and Emma Post 238.2
3. Eclipse and Isabel McGovern 227.8
3’6” Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under
1. Top Tier and Molly Copeland 253.0
2. Can Do This VA and Hailey Eynon 227.4
3. SWS High Light and Violet Rheingold 221.6
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
1. Simply Spectacular and Kate Parker 263.82
2. Fable and Ella Dalton 249.92
3. No Mercy and Charlotte Rohlen 245.74
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
1. Twain and Violet Tatum 262.42
2. Toulouse and Shyla Narachi 237.42
3. Call Me Captain and Sara Simpson 231.22
3’3” Grand Champion: Silver Tops and Annabelle Kotler
Annabelle Kotler (Sammamish, Wash.) rode Pat Gorai’s 2012 Oldenburg gelding Silver Tops (Chacco Blue x Brunette) to a first-place finish in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 section and the overall grand championship thanks to their exceptional score of 90 in the classic round. The pair finished on a final score of 251.81.
“Handy tracks can be harder, and Meghan Rawlins built an amazing course—a challenging course, for sure,” said Kotler. “I needed to be accurate and give him the best ride I could. I was so proud of him over the trot jump. I’m not great at them for some reason, and he was beautiful over it. I really enjoyed it.”
Phinn McKeon and his own Cataro 9, a 2010 Holsteiner gelding, finished in second place in the Large 16-17 section and the overall 3’3” grand championship by less than two-tenths of a point highlighted by Cataro 9’s impressive 91.5 in the under saddle. All The Talk (Quidam De Revel SF x Z Vase II VDL), a 2012 KWPN gelding owned by Dana Le and ridden by Daphne Gretton (Santa Rosa, Calif.), finished at the top of the 3’3” Smalls and third in the overall standings.
3’3” Overall Grand Championship
1. Silver Tops and Annabelle Kotler
2. Cataro 9 and Phinn McKeon
3. All The Talk and Daphne Gretton
3’3” Small Junior Hunter
1. All The Talk and Daphne Gretton 247.24
2. Goodnight Moon and Stella Rumanes 247.19
3. Sligo and Sophia Donald 245.74
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
1. Silver Tops and Annabelle Kotler 251.81
2. Cataro 9 and Phinn McKeon 251.64
3. Jamboree TN and Sabine Close 243.24
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
1. Impromptu and Emerson Whitcomb 239.69
2. Clockwork and Presley Wade 238.69
3. Quattro and Chloe Oh 236.34
“I was very happy to see some great scores on the handy day and I felt the riders and horses really stepped up to the challenge of the handy course,” said course designer Meghan Rawlins. “They demonstrated the skill required to jump a course of this technicality. I feel that HITS Del Mar has done a great job supplying materials, plants, and decorations, and have done a spectacular job maintaining the footing. I was very honored to build both the East and West Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships this year.”
All three phases of the 2024 Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – West are available for in-demand viewing on USEF Network with a USEF Membership or Subscriber account. Learn more here.
— Edited Press Release
Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.
