Wellington, Fla.—Feb. 14   

“I keep moving up, so Tori better watch out next year,” joked Tara Metzner following the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, the highlight for hunter riders during WCHR week at the Winter Equestrian Festival.

While the California-based rider, who earned a bye for winning the WCHR Developing Professional class at Capital Challenge (Md.), improved her placing from 11^th in last year’s event to fourth in the 2015 edition, the night belonged to 17-year-old Tori Colvin for the fourth year in a row.

Colvin topped the class aboard her longtime partner Ovation, who’d won the Saturday night class in 2013 and 2014, and made a repeat of last year’s performance by also clinching second, this time with Small Affair, over a field of 31.

After the class ran with a single round last year, the format reverted back to a two-round class, with the second round requiring the top 12 riders to complete a handy course.

As the final rider in round two with Ovation, Colvin had the luxury of knowing she’d won the class with Small Affair. The only question was whether it’d be a one-two finish as she did in 2014.

“I knew Small Affair was on top and I knew what I did with him in his round and I think I went tighter and a little handier on Ovation, and I went a little faster at the hand gallop and I trotted a little closer to the jump. I thought overall it was a little handier, so I was confident he was going to be on top.”

Ovation is a notoriously spooky horse, but Colvin thought Skip Bailey’s track suited the 15-year-old Brandenburg well.

“I was happy with the course because it wasn’t as spooky as last year so I went in with confidence that he was going to go well,” she said.

“There weren’t really any exact lines. He’s more of an open and flowy horse. They were all natural jumps. Last year there were some open, airy rails and he does better with solid, very natural jumps,” she continued.

Heritage Farms swept the top spots with third going to Brady Mitchell aboard Emily Perez’s Cassanto. Sitting eighth following the first round, Mitchell knew he’d have to make up some ground.

“I knew I just needed to go for it, which I did. Andre [Dignelli] gave me some great advice in between rounds to kind of let his nose out and it changed his jump,” Mitchell explained. “I think the round overall looked a whole lot better in the second round. I wanted to get a good prize tonight and I knew that I had to really go for it so. He’s a trustworthy horse and I really went for it.”

In his first year participating in the Hunter Spectacular, Mitchell was the first to return for the handy round and his total score (175.33) held firm until Colvin and Small Affair returned.

Mitchell might have been relegated to third, but he was elated by his performance.

“It feels special to be here under the lights where hunters have the opportunity to take over Saturday night,” he said. “I’m ecstatic to be third. Tori rode beautifully, and I’m happy to be third behind her. We kept it in the family tonight. Heritage Farm had a good night tonight being one-two-three.”

Metzner rounded out the top placings with longtime ride Come Monday in fourth.

“She’s a brave, awesome horse so I knew there was nothing she was going to look at. She’s great in these conditions where things are more impressive, and I knew if I found the jumps she would give me all she’s got,” Metzner said.

Want more WEF?

You can find results here and a detailed report from the class and the rest of WCHR week at the Winter Equestrian Festival, check out the March 9 issue of the Chronicle. 

In the meantime, check out photos of the hunters in the spotlight. In jumper land Paige Johnson had a big win on Dakota on Thursday afternoon and her trainer Kent Farrington made a repeat performance of last year’s win in the Friday night grand prix aboard Blue Angel.