A year ago, Tracey Epp arrived at the Royal Horse Show with her stallion Heartvit Zh in less than ideal condition. Ahead of the event, Epp suffered 11 broken ribs. Still, the pair managed to finish second in the $25,000 Knightwood Canadian Hunter Derby.
Epp immediately set her sights on a return to Toronto, and her patience paid off Tuesday night in the Coca-Cola Coliseum. She and Heartvit Zh received the Lorna Jean Guthrie Challenge Trophy as Canadian Hunter Derby Champions.
“I came here last year, and I was really injured, so coming this year healthy, I felt like I owed it to my horse,” Epp said. “He’s always there for me, and he got what he deserved.”
The Canadian Hunter Derby Championship is awarded to the high point combination from Sunday’s Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby and the Knightwood Hunter Derby Tuesday. After finishing among the top five Sunday, the pair secured their Championship title with a third-place finish Tuesday. The winning tally was 17 points.
Courtney Basco with Nitecap and Vanessa Robert with Clooney De Hus Z tied for the Reserve Championship with 16 points, but Basco prevailed in the tiebreaker with the better result Tuesday, riding to second honours. The individual class winner of Tuesday’s $25,000 Knightwood Hunter Derby was Hyde Moffatt with Lisa Chantler’s Wl Westham.
“I played it a bit safe the first night, and tonight I put it all on the table. He is very adjustable, and he jumped incredible,” Epp said. “He keeps a nice rhythm the whole time, and he never really jumps a bad jump unless I make a huge mistake. So I think that his consistency really sealed the deal for him.”
Epp imported Heartvit Zh from Europe in 2022, and together the pair set their sights on international show jumping, competing up to 1.50m. Two years later, Epp decided to enter him in a hunter class for a change of pace. It ended up unlocking an entirely new dimension for the stallion.
“As a breeding stallion, I thought I would try hunters once or twice, and he loves it,” Epp said. “So that’s his career now.”
The western Canadian Hunter champion of 2026, Heartvit Zh has had an exceptional year, but according to Epp, he gives even a bit extra at the Royal.
“It’s the most incredible show of the year. We look forward to it all year. There’s just a vibe that nothing else has,” Epp said. “He loves the crowd, so when he comes here, he grows, and he always rises up.”
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