Ocala, FL – The WEC Stadium at World Equestrian Center – Ocala welcomed nearly 100 stunning hunters to compete over beautifully designed tracks set by Michael Pegg and Doug Russell. The three hunter derbies: 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 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, all witnessed intense competition with top placings separated by fractions of a point.
Samantha Schaefer and her mount In The Know (Arkansas x Cavelle) once again showcased their dominance in the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby. Schaefer piloted the 15-year-old Warmblood gelding through two flawless rounds, securing top scores in both.
Executing a textbook first round, the duo earned an impressive score of 94. Schaefer knew In The Know was ready for the derby when she rode him in the arena to hack this morning, “Like I always say, you have to listen to ‘Spyder’ and this morning, he was chasing everyone around the ring, so I knew he felt fresh and ready for the day.”
Heading into the handy round in the lead, Schaefer aimed for consistency, “I didn’t want to go too crazy in the handy. There were maybe one or two places where I could have been a little neater, but I was thinking about the week XII derby, so I decided to just come out here and give him another solid round. He did give a little bit of sass to the last jump, but he was still perfect.”
With another solid score of 92 in the handy round, the duo secured a winning two-round total of 186, surpassing second place by 11 points.
Looking ahead, In The Know will prepare for the final week of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, that showcases three $75,000 derbies and World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) opportunities, “He will take next week off, and do week XI and week XII. Plans always change, but that’s the schedule as of now. Then after the circuit he will get a much-deserved vacation.”
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 In The Know, Samantha Schaefer, Madeline Schaefer: 94 | 92 | 186
2 Coltrane, Daniel Geitner, Magnolia Lane Stables, LLC: 87 | 88 | 175
3 Golden Ticket, Addison McQuaker, Addison McQuaker: 83 | 91 | 174
4 Bugatti, Austin Cumming, Liddy Strickland: 85 | 86 | 171
5 Malibu Ken, Tiffany Cambria, Kym K Smith: 84.5 | 85 | 169.5
6 FF Blade Runner, Jill Gaffney, Freestyling Farms LLC: 81 | 87 | 168
7 Figure of Speech, Guy Cambria, Amy Squier Perez: 88 | 72 | 160
8 E Di Luca, Madison Stewart, Madison Stewart: 75 | 74 | 149
9 Autograph, Hunt Tosh, Ceil Wheeler: 79 | 54 | 133
10 Viscolano, Robert Stucky, Falcon Ridge Stables: 82 | 50 | 132
Amanda Steege and Tangelina Take the Win in $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
This morning, a group of 31 skilled horse-and-rider pairs gathered at the WEC Stadium for the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. The victorious duo of the morning turned out to be Amanda Steege and Cara Garito’s Tangelina (Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve x Lucienne), who delivered two remarkable rounds.
In the first round, Steege guided the eight-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare to textbook effort, receiving an impressive score of 95 from the judges. Coming back for the handy sitting in first, Steege knew she still had some strong competition, “There were so many horses that had good handies, there wasn’t really any room for me to keep it safe. Most of the top five or six all did the same track, which had some pretty hard inside turns. After the oxer to the trot fence was tricky and even the turn to the last jump was harder than it looked.”
Steege and Tangelina laid down another great effort to receive a score of 88 for a two-round total of 183 for the triumph. Steege praised the mare’s performance, describing Tangelina as a “derby queen” that excels in large arenas. “’Tangie’ really shines in these classes, especially in a big ring. She’s a big horse, and it’s easy for her to show off a nice gallop in a ring like this. She felt confident out there and felt like she knew what she was doing, which is nice because last year I don’t think I could have done the turns that I did today.”
Steege is looking forward to the upcoming [World Champion Hunter Riders] WCHR week during week XII of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, “It’s a really big deal for us to have two weeks of WCHR here. All my clients showed during week VI, and they all plan to show during week XII. The final week already feels special with the three $75,000 derbies, but with the addition of WCHR, it makes it that much more special.”
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Tangelina, Amanda Steege, Cara Garito: 95 | 88 | 183
2 Small Safari, Kate Conover, Augusta Iwasaki: 90 | 92 | 182
3 Suede, Hillary Johnson, Copper Fox LLC: 92 | 89 | 181
4 Prado, Kate Conover, Falcon Ridge Stables: 89 | 91 | 180
5 Cypress, Timothy Maddrix, Missy Nolen: 82 | 93 | 175
6 Your Welcome BC, Daniel Geitner, Donald Stewart: 88 | 85 | 173
7 Blue Monday, Hillary Johnson, Stephanie Battershall: 83 | 87 | 170
8 Eldoret, Jake Evans, Karen Redding: 83.5 | 84 | 167.5
9 Legend, Timothy Maddrix, Missy Nolen: 85 | 82 | 167
10 Paraduxx, Karie Jane Pearson, Alice Goodwin: 84 | 78 | 162
Back-to-Back Wins for Maddie Tosh and Cerano in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Forty-eight talented junior and amateur athletes competed for top honors in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but it was Maddie Tosh who guided her new partner Cerano to their second consecutive victory.
Tosh quickly formed a strong connection with her mount, Cerano, delivering a nearly flawless performance that earned them a leading score of 93.
Expressing her admiration for the 13-year-old Mecklenburg gelding, “He’s incredible. Every class I’ve done on him, he’s gotten better and better. I’ve been able to figure him out a bit more, and I am very excited for the future with him,” shared Tosh.
Maintaining their lead into the handy round, the duo navigated another notable track, securing a top score of 92.5 for a two-round total of 185.5, for a well-deserved victory.
Reflecting on Cerano’s performance, Tosh praised his ability to excel under pressure, “I think he jumped better out there than he might of last week in Hunter 1. I think he’s the type of horse that really shines under pressure in an atmosphere like that. He jumped amazing. He had great rhythm and balance. I didn’t really even have to touch my reins out there. During the handy I knew I could call on him, because he just felt amazing.”
$15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 Cerano, Maddie Tosh, Ceil Wheeler: 93 | 92.5 | 185.5
2 Genuine, Hayley Waters Wear, Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Waters: 91 | 94 | 185
3 Challenger, Madison Ramsey, Maddie King: 90 | 93 | 183
4 Semi-Automatic C, Taylor Matalon, Matalon Equestrian LLC: 88 | 88 | 176
5 Debonair, Veronica Feeley, Kathleen Feeley: 82 | 91 | 173
6 Khan Of Ballmore, Mary Beth McGee, Mary Beth McGee: 85 | 86 | 171
7 Consanto, Adelaide Toensing, Lily Toensing: 86 | 84 | 170
8 Banks Mill, Lillian Geitner, Daniel Geitner: 89 | 78 | 167
9 Remember Romance, Taylor Matalon, Matalon Equestrian LLC: 85.5 | 81 | 166.5
10 Eurokom, Catherine Moorhead, Plc Farm: 83 | 83 | 166
‘THE STYLE OF RIDING AWARD’
Before the start of the handy round in the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6″-3’9″ Hunter Derby, Bill Rube presented the prestigious Style of Riding Award to Guy Cambria for his classic style and sportsmanship. The recipient serves as a role model for preserving the integrity and tradition of equestrian sport. “This award is very special to me because the recipient of this award pays it forward both in and out of the show ring,” says Rube. Cambria received a duffel bag and wore a white rose corsage on his lapel throughout the handy round to signify his achievement.
Visit HorseShowing.com for final results.
Spectators are welcome! From now until March 24, 2024, experience the thrill of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
A limited number of weekly stalls remain for the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, book your stall today!
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
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