Ocala, FL – Week III of the 2023 Ocala Summer Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala featured yet another week of elite hunter/jumper competition. Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competition continued on Wednesday with Olympic Gold Medalist Will Simpson securing top honors with 5 Rooster’s Whoop De Doo in the $40,000 1.45m Speed CSI3*. Aaron Vale added two international victories to his resume and Lauren Balcomb (AUS) repeated her $150,000 CaptiveOne Advisors Grand Prix CSI3* with Verdini D’Houtveld Z. Read on for additional highlights.
Will Simpson (USA) earned yet another victory in the $50,000 CaptiveOne Advisors National Grand Prix aboard Chacco P.
“Everyone was doing ten in the first line. It was a little blind, you had to go past the lake and it ended up sticking out a little further than I thought, so I didn’t want to do something silly, so I stuck with the ten. He made a great turn back to the vertical. I had to be a little careful into the double because that represents eight faults, so I had to throttle down a bit right there. I knew we could walk the six and leave a stride out, which no one else had done yet. He’s so quick, I knew he could still get a nice tight turn back to the vertical. To the last I saw two less, but I just couldn’t do it and throttled down. He jumped it great.”
Pathfinder Lauren Balcomb (AUS) and her own Verdini D’Houtveld Z laid down a track that was simply unbeatable in the $150,000 CaptiveOne Advisors Grand Prix CSI3*.
“I only had one question in the jump-off. The last line could have either been an eight or nine. I decided being the first one going, I would do nine. I was pretty quick in the [$50,000 UF Health Grand Prix Qualifier CSI3*], but had the last rail down, because I left one out. So, I decided to be nice and fast, and use his speed across the ground to put the pressure on the rest of the field.”
Dorothy Douglas (USA) and Caepten 2 established an early lead in the $10,000 Buckeye Nutrition Futures Prix that held throughout the class.
“He is naturally really fast across the ground. Mike is always telling me that smooth is fast. I definitely kept going and angled the Liverpool pretty severely, so I think I made up time there. Everything else I just kept smooth and nice, and the jumps all came up for me perfectly.”
Josh Dolan and Something Blue earned their first career win together in the $12,500 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby during Hunter Derby Friday.
“He jumped so well in the first round. I have been really trying to work on a forward canter because he is so good at going slow that we have been working on a lot of lengthening and shortening on the flat. He is naturally so careful that you never really have to worry about holding him off the jumps. The more you challenge him, the higher he jumps.”
Jenny Miller and Finn’s Prise conquered the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA 3’ Open Hunter Derby.
“The handy had some crazy turn options. I did the really hard turns on my first horse and made a mistake. I tried to fix the mistake on my second horse, but it still wasn’t great. When I came back on Finn’s Pride, I just wanted to focus on being smooth. We had a rub at the one fence, so toward the end of the course I knew I had to take a little bit of a risk and do the hard inside turn to the last, and she was so smooth which I think got us the win.”
Isabel Harbour and Fitz landed the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby.
“I looked at the handy this morning. Agave was the first of my two to come back for the handy and he isn’t quite as handy yet. He is still getting accustomed to doing the hunter handy. I played out my turns with him and let it all go on Fitz. You just jump a jump and look one way and Fitz just knows how to turn. I pick up the canter and his ears go forward, and he is all business when it comes to that.”
Pathfinder’s Aaron Vale & Cristo Beech won the $40,000 1.45m Two Phase Special CSI3*.
“The course rode how it walked, and it felt like a suitable track for Cristo. The rollback to start the speed phase and the turn back to the combination are not necessarily his strength, but they are certainly getting better. He made really great turns in both of those places. The Liverpool to the oxer walked nine but you could do eight, so that was really the only place that you could take out some strides other than in the turns.”
Aaron Vale secured his first win of the week on Thursday night with I.Adermie R 4 in the $50,000 UF Health Grand Prix Qualifier CSI3*.
Vale strategized after he studied Jad Dana and After Eight’s performance, “I was watching on the TV in the schooling ring, and it looked really quick. I thought I could be tighter back to the Golden Ocala oxer, and I think I was a bit inside of everybody’s tracks, but it costed me a stride to the double. I had to do seven there, but I only added one and saved about two in the turn. I was really tight back to the UF Health jump and was well inside of everyone’s tracks there. The last jump came up right in stride just running down there.”
Will Simpson opened his week with a win aboard Whoop De Doo in the $40,000 1.45m Speed CSI3*.
“There weren’t too many real options, but a few tight rolls backs and I happen to really like those,” shared Simpson about the Speed track. “I could have gone faster, but I took a bit more of a conservative route, which I really have to work on. I usually stray away from the safe option with her because she’s so brave and careful. You usually can surprise her with a tight turn, because we practice them at home. She’s always keen to go and looks for the next jump. Today, she was on it.”
Ashlee Bond (ISR) and Elka De La Pomme dominated the $6,000 1.40m Speed CSI3* with a three second lead.
Robert Mendoza and United M snagged the win in the $7,500 THIS 1.40m Jumper Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Amelia Lignelli piloted CDS Stable’s Quasini Z to the $3,500 WEC Ocala 2’6” Non Pro Hunter Derby.
Mary Kate George and her own Ontario bested the field in the $2,000 USHJA Pony Hunter Derby.
For final results visit HorseShowing.com or Ryegate.Live.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV