Ocala, FL – Derby Friday came early this week as World Equestrian Center – Ocala adjusted the schedule to accommodate Friday’s much-anticipated Standlee/USHJA National Hunter Derby Regional South Championships. Course designer Tommy Brawley set elegant, flowing tracks in the WEC – Stadium for more than 70 top hunters competing across three exciting classes: 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.
A competitive field of professionals gathered for the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, where Maria Rasmussen scored her second consecutive win aboard SVF Changeup (Il Est Balou x Fabiola), owned by Sunset View Farm LLC.
Rasmussen has developed a strong partnership with the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding over the past two years. “He’s super fun—he makes you feel really confident. He’s scopey, athletic, and brave, so it’s a lot of fun to go out there and do the derbies with him,” Rasmussen shared.
After piloting two horses earlier in the class, Rasmussen returned to the ring with a clear strategy for SVF Changeup. “The course was fun and open, which I really liked,” she said. “I didn’t have the best start on my first two horses, but I got it together by the time I went in on him, and it all came together in the end.” Their first-round score of 89 put them on top of the leaderboard heading into the handy.
Rasmussen capitalized on the handy round to secure the win. “Coming back for the handy, I knew this was a horse I could really be handy on. There weren’t a ton of places to show that, but there were one or two key turns I knew I had to take, and he was great about it.” The duo impressed with a handy score of 91, bringing their total to 180 for the win.
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Tracy Fenney and MTM Better Half Impress in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
A talented field of 34 horse-and-rider combinations took to the WEC Grand Arena to try their hand in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. Competition was fierce, but it was Tracy Fenney who captured the win aboard MTM Better Half (Cornet Obolensky x Clarata), owned by MTM Farm.
The class marked the eight-year-old gelding’s show debut, and he stepped up to prove his talent. “He was recently imported, this is his first horse show,” shared Fenney. “He’s awesome, very straightforward at the jumps and you don’t have to worry about setting him up too much.”
The pair came together beautifully, earning the highest first-round score of 93.5. “I thought the course was a bit tricky to start—opening over the hedge jump, then right into that line to the direct five, and after that, the big log. This horse did jumpers in Europe, so he’s never really seen anything like that, I was really happy with him.”
Heading into the handy on top of the leaderboard, Fenney rolled the dice. “I figured he’s probably pretty brave—he’s jumped up to 1.40m or 1.45m in Europe, so I thought this would be nothing for him. I figured I could go for it, and he was so good. All the angles and turns, he really nailed them.”
The talented duo topped their first-round score with a 94 in the handy, securing the win with a total of 187.5.
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Katalena Prusso and Viscolano Score Second Consecutive Win in $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Twenty-two junior and amateur competitors took to the WEC Stadium to vie for the blue ribbon in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Katalena Prusso and Viscolano, the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Falcon Ridge Stables, rose to the top once again, claiming another derby victory.
In the classic round, Prusso kept the new environment in mind. “I was definitely nervous in the first round. The Stadium can be an intimidating ring, but he really stepped up,” she shared. “The course was a little challenging, especially starting at the hedge and going right into the lines, but he answered every question perfectly.” The pair earned a solid first-round score of 86, placing them second on the leaderboard.
Returning for the handy, Prusso stuck with a plan that played to their strengths. “I watched the open derby this morning and saw all the pros taking that inside turn, which we decided not to, and it worked out great,” she explained. “We also did one less stride in the bending line, our plan flowed nicely and felt really smooth”.
The pair earned a second round score of 92, securing the win with an overall total of 178.
$10,000 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.
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