CaptiveOne Advisors Indoor Arena hosted a thrilling Derby Friday as more than thirty entries contested the $12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6” – 3’9” Hunter Derby and the $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby. Pat Muskus designed the winding tracks that featured beautiful natural obstacles and lines for entries to show off their horse’s brilliance and adjustability.
This afternoon’s $12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby saw 13 competitive horse-and-rider combinations hunt for the win with scores soaring into the mid-90s. No stranger to the winner circle this summer circuit, Brady Mitchell, captured the first and second place spot once again. Mitchell previously secured first and second place in Week III’s derby and first place in Week IV’s 3’6”-3’9” derby.
Mitchell of Wellington, Florida, and his own Landmann were on fire today. Mitchell is very proud of the recently imported gelding, “Landmann is an eight-year-old that I imported to be a top equitation horse, but the more that I do the hunters with him, I am starting to think it would be worth putting him in some aluminum shoes and do this full time,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell and the warmblood gelding preformed a foot perfect first round, taking all three high options to earn the highest first round score of 95. “Landmann is super brave and a really good jumper. He is the whole package, and this is only his third time showing in America.”
Mitchell and Landmann returned for their handy round, “I wanted to be as neat as possible, especially after having good rides in the first round.” The pair flowed flawlessly through the handy course, easily soaring over each fence while jumping all three high options to earn a handy score of 91.5 for a two-round total of 186.5 for the win.
Second place honors was also captured by Mitchell and Float On Equestrian LLC’s Casting Call who has had great success in the class, “Casting Call has done great here. The first week I was here he was second then he won it the second week, and then he was second again today.”
Mitchell and the seven-year-old Westphalian gelding delivered a lovely first round, earning the classes second highest score of 93. Mitchell and Casting Call returned for the handy round producing another gorgeous course that looked effortless, jumping all three high options for a score of 92 for a two-round total of 185.
Third place went to Hanna Toering and Wyette Felton’s Condor. Toering and Conor earned fifth place honors in last week’s $12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby. Toering and the nine-year-old Warmblood gelding delivered two stunning rounds today, earning a first round score of 92 and a second-round score of 92.5 for a total score of 184.5.
$12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6” – 3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1. Landmann, Brady Mitchell, Brady Mitchell: 95 | 91.5 | 186.5
2. Casting Call, Brady Mitchell, Float On Equestrian LLC: 93 | 92 | 185
3. Condor, Hanna Toering, Wyette Felton: 92 | 92.5 | 184.5
4. MTM Lolah LOL, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 88 | 93 | 181
5. Fitz, Idabel Harbour, Imh Equine, LLC: 89 | 91 | 180
6. MTM Last Word, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 85 | 89 | 174
7. Eyewitness, Chelsea Stopford, Jessica Collin: 84 | 86 | 170
8. Consanto, Lily Toensing, Lily Toensing: 76.5 | 88 | 164.5
9. MTM Exceptional, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 76| 87 | 163
10. Versailles, Allison Wegmann, Allison Wegmann: 77 | 85 | 162
Megan Young & Camanche Top The $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby
Nineteen entries gathered to the CaptiveOne Advisors Indoor Arena early this morning to compete for the top prize in the $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby but it was Megan Young and Lee D. Cesery’s Comanche that brought home the blue ribbon.
Young and the 13-year-old warmblood gelding performed a effortless first round taking all three high options to collect a score of 89. Young has been riding Camanche for many years, “We have had him since he was about six-years-old. I competed him in the pre-greens and now he’s been to derby finals. He knows his job well and is a very handy horse.”
Young and Camanche came back for the handy course, taking each tidy inside turn, “My plan was to be nice to one, slip and slide to two, then I counted eleven to the oxer so I could get inside to the double. I needed a bit of pace in the double so I wouldn’t cut down on the back rail, but I rolled back to the trot fence where I needed to relax then I got to breathe to the last two.” The pair finished the handy course jumping all three high options to receive a handy score of 91.5 for a two-round total of 180.5.
Second place was captured by Dorothy Douglas and MTM Incanto. Douglas had great success last week, winning the $12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby aboard MTM Exceptional and received second place in the $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby aboard MTM Nabilli. Douglas also received fourth place on MTM Nabilli today.
Douglas and MTM Farm’s MTM Incanto (Cornet Obolensky x Zaza Di Villagana) jumped an impeccable first round taking all three high options to earn a high score of 88. Douglas and the six-year-old warmblood gelding returned for the handy, flowing through the course finding perfect distances to receive a score of 86.5 for an overall score of 174.5.
Megan Young took home another third place aboard Lee D. Cesery’s Luminous. Young and the 10-year-old Westphalian gelding delivered two beautiful rounds, earning a first round score of 83 and a handy score of 91 for a two-round total of 174 to round out the top three.
$10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby Results:
1. Comanche, Megan Young, Lee D. Cesery: 89 | 91.5 | 180.5
2. MTM Incanto, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm: 88 | 86.5 | 174.5
3. Luminous, Megan Young, Lee D. Cesery: 83 | 91 | 174
4. MTM Nabilli, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm: 86 | 87 | 173
5. Poolside, Brady Mitchell, Brady Mitchell: 82.5 | 88 | 170.25
6. MTM Raisin, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 82.25 | 88 | 170.250
7. After Dark, Nathalie Petschenig, Linda Viens: 84 | 86 | 170
8. MTM Plus One, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 72 | 89 | 161
9. Piano Man, Jullian Ehrenzeller, Jullian Ehrenzeller: 82| 77 | 159
10. Hula Hoop, Jeannie M. Savegnago, Elizabeth Corey: 87 | 63 | 150
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.