There was one name that was well-known throughout the Winston National at HITS Culpeper, and that name was Harold Chopping. During the nationally-rated hunter, jumper, and equitation event that took place at the HITS Commonwealth Park on August 14-18, 2024, Chopping, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, won both of the event’s featured classes, including the $24,500 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix, as well as the week’s highlight hunter event, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby.
Chopping kicked off his weekend of winning with Bon Royal as the highest-scoring combination over the hunt-and-go track in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. A total of 18 horse-and-rider pairs vied for the top spot, but Chopping made his ride on Bon Royal count and guided Meg Valnoski’s six-year-old Warmblood gelding by Balou Bellini smoothly over the intricate course to take home the title.
“This is probably only his third national derby, but he’s just really matured in the last three to four months,” explained Chopping. “He is so tall that as a young horse, his balance was always changing, so we tried not to put a lot of pressure on him; he seems to have stopped growing now and has just flourished.
“I thought today’s trip was really one of his most consistent rounds,” he continued. “That is not always easy with a young horse in a hunt-and-go. It is a lot of jumps in a row and with a young horse you almost feel like you’re getting to the end of their attention span by the end of the course, so I was thrilled he kept it together all of the way around.”
Whitsett, North Carolina‘s Joy Janouskovec doubled down in the Thursday afternoon event and captured both second- and third-place honors. She guided Yellow Pages, a seven-year-old Anglo-European gelding by Inflagranti owned by Townsend Farm and PKP Holdings LLC, to the runner-up position, while Cape Bay Farm’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Alicante, Rafael di Cantero, completed the victory gallop.
Harold Chopping and Geronimo. (HITS / Dappled Hunter Photography)
Chopping’s winning ways weren’t yet over, however, and on Saturday, August 17, he produced the best round in the $24,500 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix with Geronimo SCF. The duo were one of only four entries to produce a fault-free first round and advance to the jump-off, and were then the fastest of only two double-clear efforts with a time of 37.93 seconds.
“I know Geronimo really well; we’ve been together for several years, so when I’m walking a course and making a plan, I know his strengths,” stated Chopping. “The jump-off was an A/B option, so I really only got to see parts of how the course rose for the two before me. I just stuck to what my original plan was and did all of the numbers I had decided to do. It turned out I didn’t need to be so fast, but I didn’t know.”
For Chopping, he credits the victory to the heart and determination in his partner, Diane Halpin’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Veron x Silvio I), Geronimo SCF.
“I loved how he jumped today,” he enthused. “He clearly wanted to be the winner no matter what. He’ll get a big bag of carrots this afternoon!”
Juliana Thorbecke guided her own 13-year-old Zangersheide mare, Andromeda Z, to the only other faultless performance, but with a time of 41.73 seconds, they settled for second place. With a score of four and a time of 53.52 seconds, Andrew Ross and his own 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Cornet’s Prinz, Cornet’s Cobalt, landed the final top-three title.
Competition at HITS Commonwealth Park resumes on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, with the Constitution Classic. For a full list of results, please visit showmanagementsystem.com.
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