UPPER MARLBORO, Md--Scott Stewart had three major wins earlier in the week and capped it off with a historic victory in the $30,000 USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Professional Finals on Friday, Oct. 2 at Capital Challenge.

Scott Stewart on Gracious, a champion earlier in the week (Photo by Shawn McMillanStewart of Flemington, N.J., had ridden three champions earlier in the week, but his win in the Finals was his ninth and set a record.

Michael Britt-Leon finished in second by just one point, while Kate Conover was third, and Victoria Colvin finished fourth in the Finals.

The Final featured the top four riders in the WCHR Professional standings who qualified for the class by their rank: Scott Stewart was ranked first, with Victoria Colvin second, Kate Conover in third, and Michael Britt-Leon in fourth.

The riders competed on four unfamiliar horses chosen from a donated group of horses that were presented to the judges and ground jury on Friday morning.

Six were chosen to move forward to the schooling round in the ring before the start of the class, and from there, four were used in the class.

The four horses included Checkmark, Astro MF Z, El Salvador and Beaulieu’s Quentin, 

 

STEWART had a standout ride on Checkmark, with judge’s scores of 95, 93, and 96 for an average of 94.66, but all four of his rounds were impeccable.

He finished with a total of 371.82, marking his ninth win in the class on his 23rd appearance.

While Stewart has enjoyed this class throughout the years—having first competed in it in 1998—he deemed this one “especially fun.”

“We all get along great. I think this group of riders was one of the best at getting along and camaraderie,” he said. “Winning it doesn't get old.”

Britt-Leon, of Alpharetta, Georgia, in Zone 4, set the tone and led for the first two rounds with scores of 91.66 on Checkmark and 93 with Astro MF Z.

“I had to go first in the ring, but I think that kind of worked in my favor, because nothing's in my head, and I'm not worried about what everybody else did,” he said. “I could just kind of focus and go.”

He posted a 91.66 with El Salvador, but his highest score of the night came with Paradise City with a 94.5.

His total of 370.82 put him in second place at the end of the night.

“It was amazing that so many people donated horses so we could do this class,” said Britt-Leon, who said he doesn’t like to watch too much before getting on his next unfamiliar horse. “We all do something a little bit different, so I just try to take my time trotting in the ring and figuring out how much pressure I can put on them. Then, by jump one, you kind of know what you need to do for the rest of the round.”

Britt-Leon has ridden in three Finals now, but his first in 2020 was a milestone in his career.

“It was a huge win,” he said. “The publicity from it was incredible. I think that 100% helped the business. I think I gained a lot of respect from my peers. It was definitely a change in my career.”

Conover, of Ocala, Florida, in Zone 4, had consistent rounds, but with a fall in the third round, she was given a re-ride on Paradise City.

Her fourth-round score of 96.66 on Checkmark was the highest score of the night, and she finished with a total of 367.98.

“Everyone who donates horses gives us nice information on how the horses are, so that is very helpful,” said Conover, who was riding in her second Final after her maiden victory in 2023. “For the re-ride, at that point your adrenaline's up, and I just wanted to go back in there. Paradise City was a nice, big, scopey horse.”

Colvin, of Loxahatchee, Florida, in Zone 4, had an early rail but finished on a high note with her final ride on Astro MF Z, with a score of 94.66 and a total of 365.65.

She credited the horses that she rode the entire year with getting her back into the WCHR Professional Final, which she won in 2019.

“I have a lot of great horses that I get to ride throughout the year, and they're all lovely,” she said. “It wasn't really my week for the Pro Final, but that's all right.”

As the horse with the highest cumulative score of 375.31, Checkmark, along with owner Kirby Kohn McCool and trainer Jenny Jones, was honored with The Far West Farms Perpetual Trophy donated by The Karazissis Family.