Ocala, FL – Nearly 90 horse-and-rider combinations competed in the WEC Stadium for the second Hunter Derby Friday of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series. Canadian course designer Meghan Rawlins crafted beautifully decorated and unique tracks for the three 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.
The $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby returned to the WEC Stadium, with the handy portion held under the lights, creating a stage for spectacular performances. Twenty-six combinations contested the class, but it was Amanda Steege aboard Cheryl Olsten’s Lafitte De Muze (Darco x Everlychin De La Pomme) who claimed top honors. The duo picked up right where they left off in last year’s Winter Spectacular Show Series, leading the lap of honor.
In the first round, Steege and the seasoned 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding delivered a flawless performance, earning an impressive score of 91.
Reflecting on Lafitte De Muze’s return after a well-earned break, Steege shared, “He hasn’t shown since October. He competed indoors at the Washington International Horse Show, but this was his first class back. Normally, I would do a couple of Performance Hunter classes to warm him up, but he’s such a seasoned horse now that Tim Delovich and I decided to skip those. I couldn’t be happier with how he stepped into the ring tonight.”
The handy round offered several challenging options, and Steege opted for a bold approach. “I initially planned a slightly easier route, but as I watched, I debated taking the harder option. After watching a few others go, I decided this was a great opportunity to push ourselves and prepare for the bigger classes later this season. It’s better to practice going all-out to win than to play it safe.”
The calculated risk paid off, as the pair received a second-round score of 90, bringing their total to 181 and securing the victory.
Looking ahead, Steege expressed excitement about the newly added $80,000 USHJA National Hunter Derbies scheduled for Week V (January 28-February 2) and Week IX (February 25-March 2) in the WEC Stadium. “We’re thrilled about the international derbies. Not only do we have an $80,000 International Derby, but we also have two of them, plus the $75,000 Derby at the end of the season. It’s incredible that WEC continues to raise the bar with opportunities like this.”
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Jennifer Jones and Copper Canyon Shine in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
On Friday morning, 28 horse-and-rider combinations gathered at the WEC Stadium to compete in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. Jennifer Jones emerged victorious yet again, this time aboard Copper Canyon (Irish Wiskey Z x Fubertha), owned by Adele Einhorn.
Jones and the coming eight-year-old Warmblood gelding delivered a seamless first round, earning a high score of 93. “I loved the course today; this was one of my favorite courses. It was just single jumps and one in-and-out. There was nothing to anticipate. The horses could just show off and jump nice. The course didn’t win, the horses did,” Jones explained.
Returning for the handy round, Jones had three mounts to navigate. “I made a little mistake with Lincoln; I was trying to turn too tight and be too greedy. On the mare, [Edith], I ended up doing the double inside turn to the second-to-last jump, but she was a jumper, so that was no problem for her. When I went on Copper Canyon, I wanted to show off but be smooth. I did the same trot jump with him, but I went where I was supposed to go, which was in between the oxers to get to the other option, which made it very nice.”
With a stellar handy round score of 92, Jones and Copper Canyon secured a two-round total of 185 to take home the win.
“He’s such an incredible horse. He ended up Champion in the Green 3’6” this week and was the leading National Hunter Derby Horse of the Year in 2024. He’s a dream horse,” Jones said.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Lillian Geitner and Banks Mill Land $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Victory
Thirty-four horse-and-rider combinations competed for top honors in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Ultimately, it was Lillian Geitner who piloted Banks Mill, owned by Daniel Geitner, to victory with two exceptional rounds.
Geitner guided the 14-year-old Warmblood gelding to an impeccable first round, earning a top score of 92 from the judges. Returning for the handy round, Geitner opted for a strategic adjustment in her plan. “At first, I was thinking I was going to have to do a lot of tight turns and some crazy things,” she explained. “But after I watched a few of the last people go, I decided it was better to just go have a nice round and be tidy.”
Geitner elaborated on her revised approach: “In my original plan, I was going to go straight directly after the first trot jump, then bend four strides to the farthest hay bale. But then my mom said, ‘That would be something you do if you were in last.’ So I watched [Augusta Iwasaki] and saw what she did, and thought that was very smart. Once I got in the ring, I decided to do what I saw and that’s what I chose.”
Her careful adjustments paid off, as the pair delivered another standout performance, earning a second-round score of 91. Their two-round total of 183 secured them the top spot on the leaderboard.
Reflecting on her talented partner, Geitner shared, “His barn name is Ray, but we call him Rue. He’s literally a Barbie Dream Horse or a Breyer horse. He’s so sweet and so polite. He is the absolute best, and he’s so happy to be in Florida.”