He's Blue Takes Home the Blue in the $5,000 Marshall & Sterling Classic Hunter Derby

Lee Hughes and He’s Blue

Aiken Summer Classics Wrap-Up Release

Aiken, South Carolina, June 23, 2019 - Lee Hughes, of Athens, Georgia, piloted Wolver Hollow’s He’s Blue to the win in the $5,000 Marshall & Sterling Classic Hunter Derby, besting a field of 27 horse-and-rider teams.

“I thought it was a nice mix of Pros, Amateurs and Juniors, which made for an even playing field,” commented Hughes. “The course posed lots of questions, but overall it was very fair. There were sweeping, bending lines, which I love, and the course was very presentable. There were natural obstacles with the hay bales, and there was a split rail with wine barrels as a high option, which we took—we took all the high options,” she said. “That one rode a little tricky and a few peeked at it. It was off a short turn, so you had to catch it just right.”

Hughes has been riding He’s Blue since November. “He came out of the jumpers, and we decided to try him in the hunters. He’s very brave with a huge stride but can turn really easily. I have a blast with him. We won our first Derby we did together. This is our third one and his second win. He’s only 7, so there’s a lot ahead for him,” she added.

Brad Pitt, owned by Palmyra Enterprises and ridden by Sheridan Johnson, of Raleigh, North Carolina, earned second-place honors as well as winning the $500 Marshall & Sterling 3’3” Non Pro Rider Bonus.

Valentine, owned and ridden by Liddy Strickland, of Mcdonough, Georgia, earned a third-place ribbon as well as the $300 Marshall & Sterling 3’3” Non Pro Rider Bonus. Haute Couture, owned and ridden by Sheridan Johnson, of Raleigh, North Carolina, took home the fourth-place ribbon as well as the $200 Marshall & Sterling 3’3” Non Pro Rider Bonus.

Empire Show Stables’ Ayla, ridden by Kris Killam, of Naples, Florida, earned a fifth-place ribbon and Masterpiece, owned and ridden by Paige Moose, of Tampa, Florida, took home sixth as well as the $500 Marshall & Sterling 3’ Non Pro Rider Bonus.

Carnaval Elite, owned by Whish LLC and ridden by Whitney Lind, of Bethesda, Maryland, rode away with the seventh-place ribbon as well as the $300 Marshall & Sterling 3’ Non Pro Rider Bonus.

Eighth place finisher, Versailles, owned and ridden by Allison Wegmann, of Saint Rose, Louisiana, also won the $200 Marshall & Sterling 3’ Non Pro Rider Bonus. Scout, owned and ridden by Mattie Worsham, of Cumming, Georgia, earned a ninth-place finish, and Mandolin, owned by Lynn Laird and ridden by Josie Evans, of Covington, Georgia, placed 10th.

Carolyn Bell, of Alpharetta, Georgia, piloted her own Corleando to an 11th-place finish, and Isabel Harbour, also of Alpharetta, Georgia, wrapped up the class with 12th in the irons of Showcase Limited’s In The Black. For more information on this class, please visit horseshowsonline.com.

ABOUT MARSHALL & STERLING INSURANCE

Marshall & Sterling Insurance is the title sponsor of all Marshall & Sterling Classic Hunter Derbies at the Gulf Coast Winter Classic and Classic Company shows in 2019.

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Marshall & Sterling Insurance is your true advocate when it matters most—when you apply for insurance, and when your horse has an accident, becomes sick, or injured. For more information, visit them on the web or call their office at 800-836-3046.