Ocala, FL – The first World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) week of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series welcomed the largest field yet to the WEC Stadium for three highly competitive derbies. The day began with the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, followed by the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. For the first time at WEC – Ocala, an international derby took place under the lights, drawing an enthusiastic crowd to the stadium. Renowned course designer Kenny Krome set thoughtful tracks that allowed horses to showcase their brilliance.
The $80,000 LeMieux USHJA International Hunter Derby marked WEC – Ocala’s first-ever international hunter derby, attracting 31 top combinations. A judging panel of Scott Alder, Scott Hoffstetter, Mindy Coleman, and Kat Mulley evaluated the class, but it was Amanda Steege and Lafitte De Muze (Darco x Everlychin De La Pomme) who dominated both rounds to take the top prize.
Steege and Lafitte De Muze returned second to last in the first round. “I really liked the course right from the moment I saw it on paper. I was feeling confident—it was a really good course. At this point, Lafitte and I can conquer any track. We’ve had such a long partnership together.”
She piloted the 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding to a stellar first-round score of 191, earning a 97 from panel one and a 94 from panel two to take the lead.
Returning for the handy round, Steege remained focused. “It was nice to have already done the handy on Tangelina and have her be so great. That made me feel even more confident going out there on Lafitte. I always try to be as handy as I can, not get caught up in what everyone else is doing, and just focus on our goals for the night and the year.”
Another outstanding score of 195—an impressive 97 from panel one and a 98 from panel two—secured Steege and Lafitte De Muze the victory with a total score of 386.
“Tonight was amazing! This was by far the largest crowd I’ve had for a hunter class in a while. It’s so exciting, and I’m thrilled to show here on such a beautiful night in such a beautiful ring with an amazing course and packed stands. It couldn’t have been better.”
Tracy Fenney guided MTM Holding Court (A Golden Boy Hero x Baranka), a coming eight-year-old Warmblood gelding, to a remarkable second-place finish in his first international derby and first time under the lights. Fenney and MTM Holding Court earned a first-round score of 181.5, followed by an impressive handy score of 194.5 (96.5 from panel one and 98 from panel two) for a combined total of 376.
Dorothy Douglas and Nina Koloseike’s MTM Ahoy (Dinken x Baja) rounded out the podium, earning a first-round score of 177.5 and a standout handy score of 193, bringing their final total to 370.5.
$80,000 LeMieux USHJA International Hunter Derby Results
A Day of Firsts for Maddie Tosh and Roper in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Forty entries took to the WEC Stadium on Friday morning to contend for top honors in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, but it was ultimately Maddie Tosh and Cecilia Halsey’s Roper (Casallco x NN) who galloped away with the win.
As a newly minted professional, this marked Tosh’s first career win and a significant milestone for the nine-year-old KWPN gelding, as well. “He hasn’t done many classes like this with us, but we figured we’d give it a whirl. He’s never shown in the Stadium; I ticketed him on Tuesday, and then he came straight out here. I couldn’t have asked more of him.”
In the first round, Tosh piloted Roper along the windy track. “There were a lot of related distances compared to singles. Normally, I am one that loves single jumps, but this horse has such a big stride and is so smooth going around that I thought it rode really nicely for him.” The pair earned a score of 90, putting them in fifth place going into the handy.
Returning for the second round, competition was fierce with the top five scores of the class all landing in the low nineties, but the pair remained locked in. “I wanted to go in and keep it as simple for him as possible because he hasn’t done a lot of handys recently. But I jumped the first jump and knew he was right on it, so I was able to be super tidy everywhere. He clicked right back into gear,” she shared. Finishing with an impressive score of 94, Tosh and Roper catapulted from fifth to first place with a final combined score of 184, setting an optimistic tone for the start of Tosh’s professional journey.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Taylor Matalon and Remember Romance Wow the Judges in $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
The excitement picked back up on Friday afternoon with 40 horse-and-rider combinations returning to WEC Stadium for the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Amateurs and juniors alike brought their A-game, with high scores all around making for a competitive class. Taylor Matalon and Matalon Equestrian LLC’s Remember Romance (Cornet’s Prinz x Availdele) dominated with two big scores to secure the victory.
In the first round, Matalon and the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding laid down a stellar performance, wowing the judges enough to score a 94. She shared, “The jumps are impressive, and it was a really nice round.” This strong score put the pair on the top of the leaderboard.
Returning last for the handy round, Matalon knew she had to be bold. “I knew I had to be super handy to stay on top with a lot of people staying inside, so my tactic was just to stay inside anywhere I could to show off how handy he is.” Matalon guided Remember Romance on a tidy, short track, and their efforts were rewarded with another high score of 94. With a two-round total of 188, the pair was untouchable, taking home the blue.
Remember Romance, known fondly as ‘Rex’, has achieved impressive accolades with his young rider. “He’s been great for us. He just finished National Horse of the Year in the 3’3” Juniors with tricolors at Indoors. He’s perfect, and we love him so much.”
$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
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