Jennifer Jones Pilots Endgame to Successful $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Debut

13 MAR 26 Ocala, FL

A rider in equestrian attire jumps a brown horse over a white fence during a competition, with a scoreboard in the background displaying round information.

Ocala, FL – The penultimate Hunter Derby Friday of the 2026 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) welcomed nearly 100 horse-and-rider combinations to compete across three staple derby classes: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Patrick Rodes set winding tracks in GGT Footing Hunter 1 that had horses jumping to scores well into the high 90s.

Equestrian rider on a brown horse jumps over a white and black fence during a competition, with trees and flowers in the background.
Jennifer Jones and Endgame. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby capped off Hunter Derby Friday with a strong field of competitors. In the end, it was Jennifer Jones and Cece Williamson’s Endgame (Celestial x Clara) who impressed the judges, galloping away with two scores in the 90s to secure the victory.

Jones piloted the 10-year-old German Sporthorse gelding to a lovely first round, earning a score of 93. The class marked Endgame’s debut in the 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby division.

“This is his first big derby. He did 3’ in the [WCHR] Hunter Spectacular a few weeks ago, and won another 3’ Derby earlier this season. He’s pretty incredible and has such a big, impressive jump,” she expressed.

Reflecting on the round, Jones shared, “I thought he was really good in the first round. In the handy, he was still a bit green doing that inside turn to the second jump. He took a little bit of a peek at the second jump, but then he jumped it really well. After that, he smoothed out. By the end, it felt like he was getting the hang of what he was supposed to be doing.”

Three people at an outdoor equestrian event: one person on horseback, two women standing in front holding a large check and a plaque, with decorated white and green structures in the background.
Jennifer Jones and Endgame. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The pair returned for the handy and produced another consistent effort, earning a second score of 93 for a two-round total of 186 to claim the win.

Jones spoke about developing her partnership with the flashy gelding, “I started riding him last summer for Cece in Kentucky, and I showed him there. I showed him at Capital Challenge, and he was very good, and then we’ve done the whole circuit here. We started doing the 3’6” Greens, and he actually got a ‘High Score of the Day’ in the handy during the last WCHR week, we got a 93.”

Next week marks the final Hunter Derby Friday of the 2026 Winter Spectacular Show Series, featuring three $75,000 derby classes. Jones is already looking forward to the highlight week. “We’re always looking forward to the big derby week. I have my little horse Lincoln that I do the 3’ derbies on, and it’s nice for me owning him to have a little incentive and maybe pay some bills when he does well,” she laughed. 

$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results

Daniel Geitner & Apricot Lane Score Standout Scores in $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby

A rider in equestrian attire guides a chestnut horse over a jump during a show jumping competition, with greenery and flowers in the background.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Twenty-seven top hunter professionals gathered in GGT Footing Hunter 1 early Friday morning to contest the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, but it was Daniel Geitner who piloted Nancy McBrayer’s Apricot Lane to two impressive rounds to secure the victory.

The 11-year-old Warmblood gelding has primarily been competing in the Junior Hunter division according to Geitner, but this week stepped into the derby ring. “I’ve had him for a couple years,” Geitner shared. “We did the Pre-Greens, the First Years, and the Second Years. He’s done a little bit of Junior Hunters this year, and Lizzie Reinhart rode him for me, but she couldn’t be here this week, so I said, ‘Well, let’s do this.’”

The pair made light work of the first round, jumping each high option with ease to earn the class’s highest first-round score of 97.

A rider on a horse jumps over an orange fence during an equestrian competition, with a scoreboard visible in the background.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Although Geitner returned for the handy with a strong lead, Samantha Schaefer delivered an impressive round that kept the pressure on.

“Sam really laid it down in the handy, so I couldn’t just canter around and hold onto my lead. I knew I needed to go for it. When I jumped the first jump, and he curled right back inside, I said, ‘He’s on.’ He jumped the new lattice jump, which was a little bit of an eye-catching jump, and despite me, he did a beautiful trot jump. I can mess those up with the best of them, but he was great,” he added. “He’s careful, he jumps great, and you can always stay on the gas with him. He always pushes away from the jumps.”

The judges rewarded the pair with another near-perfect score of 99, giving them a winning two-round total of 196.

A man on a horse poses with two women, one holding a large check and another holding a plaque, in an outdoor equestrian awards setting.
Daniel Geitner and Apricot Lane. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results

Hayley Waters Wear Scores Second Consecutive Victory in $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby

A rider in formal attire jumps a brown horse over a white fence during an equestrian event, with trees and flowers in the background.
Hayley Waters Wear and Bull Run’s Luminous. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

A talented field of 48 junior and amateur athletes vied for top honors in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Hayley Waters Wear ultimately dominated the class, capturing first place aboard Bull Run’s Luminous (Valentino x Cleophatra) and second place with Genuine (Diarado x Kampari W), both owned by Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Waters.

Waters Wear first tackled the track with the 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding Genuine, laying down a strong effort to earn a score of 92.5 and sit third heading into the handy round. She then returned aboard last week’s Jr/Am Hunter Derby winner, Bull Run’s Luminous, to earn the top first-round score of 94.

A rider in formal equestrian attire guides a horse over a jump in an outdoor arena decorated with flowers and wooden elements.
Hayley Waters Wear and Genuine. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Coming back for the handy, Waters Wear aimed to deliver a consistent round with Genuine, which she accomplished with a score of 94 for a two-round total of 186.5.

Having already known she was in the lead, Waters Wear stuck to a similar plan with Bull Run’s Luminous in the handy.

“I was planning on being a little more conservative on Genuine before I went. There was an inside turn to jump three that I wasn’t planning on doing, but I changed my mind while on course and ended up doing it. On Luminous, I was trying to just play it a little safer and ended up going around to the trot jump.”

A rider on a chestnut horse jumps over a white fence during an equestrian event, with flowers and greenery in the foreground.
Hayley Waters Wear and Bull Run’s Luminous. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The judges awarded Bull Run’s Luminous a score of 95 in the handy for a winning two-round total of 189, giving Waters Wear both first and second place honors.

Both of Waters Wear’s mounts have shown consistent results throughout the circuit, and her newer partner, the nine-year-old Warmblood mare Bull Run’s Luminous, is proving to be a natural in the derby ring.

A group of five people and a horse pose outdoors; one person on horseback holds a trophy while another holds a large prize check.
Hayley Waters Wear and Bull Run’s Luminous. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

“She just started doing derbies this year and has caught on so quickly! She is so fun to ride. I love getting to do derbies on her. She has a really nice rhythm and is easy to see the jumps on. You can also really count on her to jump well regardless of the distance. I mostly just try to stay out of her way.”

$15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes! 

This event is made possible through the support of our generous sponsors and marketing partners, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau.