Ocala, FL – The three hunter derbies experienced a change of scenery and schedule during Week II of the 2024 Summer Series, as the South Standlee/USHJA National Hunter Derby Regional Championships are set to take over the WEC Stadium on Hunter Derby Friday.
Today, World Equestrian Center – Ocala hosted the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Dean Rheinheimer designed the beautifully crafted tracks in the WEC Stadium, where nearly 80 stunning hunters competed for victory.
In the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, Victoria Colvin claimed top honors aboard Dicoblue PS (Diarado’s Boy x Stutbuch 1 Chactine), owned by Isabelle Castellanos, with two outstanding scores.
In the first round, Colvin and the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding earned an impressive score of 96 from the judges.
This was Colvin’s first time competing in the WEC Stadium, and she enjoyed the experience. “This is my first time riding out here, and I love it. The ring is massive. It takes a long time to get around,” Colvin said with a laugh. “It is lovely to ride in and it was perfect to get a nice gallop.”
Heading into the handy round, Colvin and Dicoblue PS were leading by half a point. “I wanted to be smooth. He’s actually quite handy, but there weren’t too many options for a handy turn, so my goal was to be smooth. He jumped incredible over the high options and felt super.”
The judges were wowed by their performance, awarding Colvin and Dicoblue PS the highest score of the day, a 98.5, for an overall total of 194.5.
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 Dicoblue PS, Victoria Colvin, Isabelle Castellanos: 96 | 98.5 | 194.5
2 Worthy, Maria Rasmussen, Sunset View Farm LLC: 96.5 | 96.5 | 193
3 Southland, Victoria Colvin, SG Equestrian LLC: 94.25 | 92 | 186.25
4 Poker Face, Jennifer Bliss, Harris Hill Farm, LLC: 94 | 87 | 181
5 MTM Ahoy, Dorothy Douglas, Nina Koloseike: 88 | 89.25 | 177.25
6 MTM Lolah LOL, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 87 | 88 | 175
7 Chacco Ricco, Erika Moore, Noble Steeds LLC: 81 | 84 | 165
8 Oh Hello, Jake Evans, Make A Splash, LLC: 76 | 86 | 162
9 High Hopes, Elisabeth Rotsaert, River Gates IVY LLC: 70 | 77 | 147
10 Curtis 89, Josephine Demmo, Josephine Demmo: 72 | 69 | 141
A Day of Firsts for Jake Evans and Suntory in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Thirty-one top-notch horse-and-rider combinations gathered early this morning at the WEC Stadium to compete in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. It was a day of firsts, as Jake Evans secured his first World Equestrian Center – Ocala derby win aboard Suntory (Chellano Alpha Z x Tamina I), a hunter derby newcomer owned by Sleepy P Ranch LLC.
Evans and the flashy 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding delivered a beautiful first round, earning a score of 92.
“He is 10 years old. We call him Santa in the barn because when I first saw him, I thought, ‘That looks like a present Santa Claus would give because he’s so perfect,’” laughed Evans. “He’s super brave and honest. This was his first derby, and coming out here, I really didn’t know what to expect, but he jumped so well and confidently.”
Returning for the handy round was also a new experience for Suntory. “This was his first time doing a handy too. So, it was a lot of trust. I feel like when my horses sense I’m ready to put it on the line for them, they do the same. He couldn’t have been any better. He stepped up to the plate and was incredible.”
With a top score of 95 in the handy, Evans and Suntory clinched their well-deserved victory.
“The last three years, I’ve been second so many times, missing the win by a half a point or a point, so to finally get the win feels amazing,” he shared. “I didn’t even watch the last round because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But when someone told me a rail came down, I was jumping up and down and hugging everyone. The curse was finally broken, and I got my first WEC derby win,” laughed Evans. “All the pieces came together, and I couldn’t have done it without the whole team at Empire Lane.”
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Suntory, Jake Evans, Sleep P Ranch LLC: 92 | 95 | 187
2 Candy Man, Timothy Maddrix, Mark Dorfman: 93 | 93 | 186
3 MTM Nutmeg, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm: 89 | 90 | 179
4 MTM Knock Out, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 90.25 | 87 | 177.25
5 Sugaman, Jennifer Bliss, Harris Hill Farm, LLC: 87 | 88 | 175
6 Storyville, Stephanie Frey, Leslie Kramer: 81.75 | 87.25 | 169
7 Emerald City, Shane Powell, Marissa Bleiler: 81.25 | 86.75 | 168
8 Cupido ZG Z, Megan Wexler, Catherine Merrill: 82 | 85.25 | 167.25
9 MTM Figurative, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 85 | 74 | 159
10 Chesney, Timothy Maddrix, Lee Cesery: 94 | 64 | 158
Kristina Watkins and On Tap Top the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
The $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby featured 31 talented junior and amateur competitors vying for top honors over Dean Rheinheimer’s courses. Ultimately, it was Kristina Watkins and Firefly Farm’s On Tap (Olympic Fire x Carlotta) who claimed victory.
Watkins and the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding delivered a stunning first round, earning a score of 88.
Watkins has had a long partnership with On Tap, spanning nearly a decade. “I’ve had [On Tap] for a really long time. I think it’s been about 10 years. We did the pre-greens together and the adult amateurs,” she shared. “He is just coming off of a long injury, so to have such a great day felt fantastic.”
Entering the handy round in third place, Watkins and On Tap navigated the course smoothly, jumping all four high options for a handy score of 90 and a combined total of 178.
“He was excellent. Today, I really just wanted to go out there and have fun, and that’s exactly what I did. Hopefully, next year we will be back out here doing the 3’6”-3’9” Derby,” she expressed.
$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 On Tap, Kristina Watkins, Firefly Farm: 88 | 90 | 178
2 Malcomme, Hayley Waters Wear, Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Waters: 89 | 88.5 | 177.5
3 G&T Games Of Thrones, Ella Bostwick, Christine Bostwick: 90 | 87.2 | 177.2
4 MTM Grateful, Adelle Alletto, Adelle Alletto: 87.5 | 88.25 | 175.75
5 Shakiro, Sophia Bruny, Sophia Bruny: 83.25 | 89 | 172.25
6 Nantucket, Adele Dewar, Katherine Dewar: 80 | 91 | 171
7 Genuine, Hayley Waters Wear, Mr. & Mrs. Check Waters: 91 | 79.5 | 170.5
8 Emerson Van De Meulenberg Z, Audrey Muscari, Audrey Muscari: 82 | 88 | 170
9 Cayman A.L., Abigail Grace Kelley, Abigail Grace Kelley: 81 | 86 | 167
10 Kadans T, Alexandra Ader, Maarten Huygens: 79.2 | 83 | 162.2
Visit HorseShowing.com for final 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
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