Jef Lauwers Lands Second Consecutive Pin Oak $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Win with Hallpass

Katy, TX – April 12, 2025 – For the second year in a row, the win in the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby – sponsored by Rio Agave and held during Week 3 of the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show – went to Jef Lauwers and Hallpass.

Winning the finale hunter derby of the three-week show at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX, is no easy feat, and doing it twice consecutively is particularly impressive given the talented field of entries contesting the class each year.

Jef Lauwers and Hallpass. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

This time, that included 21 horses, each taking on the first-round track designed by Meghan Rawlins and set in the Main Indoor on Saturday, April 11. Lauwers and Hallpass, owned by Sue Copeland, led that field from beginning to end after quickly taking over the top of the leaderboard with dual scores of 89 in the first round.

As the frontrunner, Lauwers was then the final entry to return for the handy round, which presented riders with numerous options of both tracks and fences.

“They gave us a lot of freedom to do what we thought our horses would do best,” said Lauwers. “They left it up to us. I watched some people go before me; I had a plan, but I kind of wanted to see what other people were doing. That’s the advantage of coming back last. You can wait and see what other people do, but Peter [Pletcher] came over to me right before I went and said, ‘Okay, the last one did this and that.’ I said, ‘I’m just going to stay to my plan.’ I know [Hallpass], and I trust him, so I know I can make inside turns and still make a forward run up to a big vertical or oxer. It’s fun to have a horse to count on like Hallpass.”

For the second year in a row, Jef Lauwers and Sue Copeland’s Hallpass were presented as the winners of the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at Pin Oak Week 3. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

With a well-executed plan and a horse that he can trust in the form of the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Hallpass, Lauwers turned in second-round base scores of 88 and 89. Once coupled with all four high-option bonus jumps and additional handy bonus points, Lauwers and Hallpass secured a second-round score of 194 for an overall winning total of 372.

Finishing in second place with an overall score of 360 was Kelly Lorek and MTM Swerte. Lorek and the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, owned by Priya Alvarez, jumped up from fourth place in the first round with a score of 190 in the second round. Rounding out the top three was Alexandra Pielet who rode Vex Freedom, owned by Vex Sporthorse Ltd., to a score of 346.

“Hallpass has been amazing,” said Lauwers of his win. “He’s a winner. He knows his job. He comes here, and he knows what he’s doing. He just goes for it. We have a very good connection. We have good bond.”

That bond is particularly impressive seeing as Hallpass does not travel with Lauwers and the team at PJP Farm. Instead, the gelding stays with his owner, Copeland, and she keeps the horse fit between meeting up with Lauwers at the occasional horse show.

“He just mainly shows here in Texas,” explained Lauwers. “So, it’s super fun to always be able to count on a horse like that and on an owner like Sue Copeland. [While we’re in Wellington, FL], she calls me and texts me. She’s like, ‘Okay, Week 3 countdown! What do you want me to do?’ I was like, ‘Just flat him a little and jump him a little bit.’ So, it is teamwork. He’s a dream, dream horse.”

Second place went to Kelly Lorek and MTM Swerte. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

Lauwers has been riding Hallpass for more than four years, and he calculates that they have together earned eight USHJA International Hunter Derby wins. However, Lauwers had extra motivation to earn the win on Saturday night at Pin Oak.

“Today I really tried to do a very good job with my horse,” concluded Lauwers. “I have a friend, she’s a sponsor here from the Wiesner family, Jaynne. She’s not doing that good. I went to go see her last week and she was like, ‘How is the show?’ I said, ‘Not good because you’re not here!’ and I told her, I said, ‘I’ll do my best for you tonight.’ So, it’s nice that it worked out and that I could bring home a win with her in the back of my head.”

To view full results of Saturday, April 11’s $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, sponsored by Rio Agave, click here.