Jimmy Torano of Wellington, FL, won the $15,000 NEHJA Performance Stake Hunter Derby, sponsored by Land Rover Experience, aboard Lion Hearted and finished second with Argentus on Thursday, August 6, at the Vermont Summer Festival. The Vermont Summer Festival continues through Sunday, August 9, at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT. Highlighting the final week of competition is the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Saturday at 1 p.m. After winning last week's $5,000 NEHJA Performance Stake Hunter Derby, presented by Eastern Hay, with Lion Hearted, Torano and his ten-year-old Warmblood mount, owned by Beacon Woods, led both rounds of Thursday's finale. The track, set by Joe Carnicom, spanned two competition rings as it has each Thursday afternoon during the six-week Vermont Summer Festival. Following the first round, the top 12 entries returned in reverse order of standing for a handy course, which again utilized both rings. Scoring an 89 in the first round, Torano and Lion Hearted returned last over the handy course where they pocketed a 90 to post a final score of 179 for the win. When he entered the ring aboard Lion Hearted, Torano was in the unique position of already having the class won aboard his second mount Argentus, owned by Isalou, Inc. Because of his multiple rides, Torano returned second with Argentus and earned a handy score of 88, which combined with an 82 for 170. That score sat in the lead throughout the entire second round until it was bumped to second by Lion Hearted.
