Youth prevailed in the Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) Canadian Hunter Derby Open 3’6″ Saturday afternoon at Thunderbird Show Park’s April Season Opener, with 10th grader Sloane Betker besting a group of professionals aboard her longtime partner, Kensington.

Held in a one-round format, the Canadian Hunter Derby is judged as a handy class. Judges award a base score for the round; then a High Performance Bonus and Handy Bonus—each up to 10 points—are added to that number to comprise the final score for the round.

Betker and Kensington finished on a winning total of 100 points. Ashley Arnoldt rode Light My Fire to runner-up honors (98 points), with Chloe Mache and St Martin’s Lane third (91).

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