Ocala, FL – The second World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) week of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series welcomed the largest field yet, with nearly 130 horse-and-rider combinations, to the WEC Stadium for four highly anticipated derbies. The day began with the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, followed by the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby, the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby, and, under the lights, the highlight event: the $80,000 MARS Equestrian USHJA International Hunter Derby. Canadian course designer Kevin Holowack set beautifully flowing tracks that allowed horses to showcase their brilliance across all four derbies.
The $80,000 MARS Equestrian USHJA International Hunter Derby welcomed 28 of the nation’s best hunter combinations. A panel of judges comprising Philip Long, Andrea Wells, Virginia Edwards, and Gary Duffy evaluated the class, and it was Brian Feigus and Marita Zuraitis’ Four Aces (Acodetto 2 x Haamoon), a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, who wowed the judges and took home the lion’s share of the prize money.
Feigus and Four Aces delivered a stylish first round, earning a score of 188.
Returning for the handy sitting in a tie for second, Feigus kept his focus on the plan ahead. “I honestly stay very much to myself,” Feigus shared. “I’ll watch just to see if a turn’s there to make sure, but I kind of already have a plan, and I don’t focus too much on what everyone else is doing or what their scores are. I just have an idea of whether I need to really go for it or not. Amanda was clearly amazing with her scores, so it definitely put pressure on me to really try to go for it.”
From the moment they stepped into the handy round, Feigus felt in sync with Four Aces. “The second I picked up my canter in the handy and took the first ten steps away from the gate, I knew he was with me and on board. Once we landed left after jump two, I never slowed down — I just kept going with him.”
Their bold and seamless round was rewarded with a remarkable handy score of 204, bringing their two-round total to 392 and clinching the win.
“There’s no better feeling than having a partnership with a horse and then being rewarded for it,” Feigus continued. “For me, it’s less about the ribbon than knowing the horse just performed the way he did, and to be recognized by the judges for that — that’s the win for me. And the team behind it, it’s just a group of amazing people who love their horse, I love their horse, and we’re all in it for the right reason — for the horse. The blue just makes it that much more special.”
“He’s one of the best, if not the best, horse I’ve ever ridden,” Feigus added. “He’s always willing to do his job. He wants to win; he wants to perform every time he walks in the ring. He kind of tells you exactly how it’s going to be that day, and I knew the second I got on today, he wanted to win.”
Week V’s $80,000 winner, Amanda Steege, and Cheryl Olsten’s Lafitte De Muze (Darco x Everlychin De La Pomme), returned to the stadium and delivered another outstanding performance, ultimately securing second place. Steege and the 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding earned a first-round score of 188, followed by a brilliant handy round score of 201, for a total of 389.
Rounding out the podium was Jennifer Jones and Firstlee Farm’s Chivalrous (Casall Ask x Pikachu), an eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding. The pair impressed the judges with a first-round score of 183 and a handy score of 194.5, bringing their final tally to 377.5 for third place.
$80,000 MARS Equestrian USHJA International Hunter Derby Results
Maddie Tosh Pilots Ulysses to First in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
The day kicked off with a strong field of 36 competitors in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. Riders brought their best to the Stadium, delivering numerous high scores in the upper-80s and 90s. In the end, Maddie Tosh claimed victory aboard Betsee Parker’s 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Ulysses (Diarado x Winday), leading the standings from start to finish.
Tosh and Ulysses are a well-established team. “I’ve shown him for three or four years now. He’s competed in equitation, and I’ve done derby finals on him. He’s one of those horses that can do anything you ask for. He’s been doing these classes all winter and has been super consistent—he was second last time I showed, and then won today,” Tosh shared.
The duo impressed early, mastering the long and winding first-round track to earn a high score of 92. Tosh felt the course played to their strengths. “I liked the course. There were no related distances, so you could just have a nice gallop. They dressed the ring up beautifully with all the gorgeous jumps—the hay bales, the hedge, the walls. It feels special, and the atmosphere makes all the horses jump great out here.”
Returning last for the handy round, Tosh had a straightforward approach. “I just wanted to do all the inside turns. There was an island where you could go in front to jump one—we opted to go around since the pond was on the backside. Then, I wanted to be as smooth as possible and have a little gallop to the last jump. He was great.” With a handy round score of 90.50, their two-round total of 182.5 held strong, securing the blue ribbon.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Erica Prockow and MTM Nabilli Soar to New Heights in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby
The $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby saw 36 competitors contend for victory on Friday afternoon. Erica Prockow found success on both of her own mounts, claiming fourth place with MTM Good Times and winning the blue with MTM Nabilli, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Thunder Van De Zuuthoeve x Weurika Van’t Voorhof.
MTM Nabilli, or “Noble,” executed a solid classic round, earning a score of 88 to sit in second heading into the handy. “In the first round, I wanted to keep my pace and rhythm while finding all the jumps. This is only our second derby together. He was my first Children’s Hunter, so I’ve had him for a while, but I just recently started doing the derbies with him. I feel like we clicked today, and I gained a lot of confidence on him in the ring.”
Prockow had the chance to navigate the handy course first on her other gelding, MTM Good Times, which helped her feel confident coming back on Noble. “When I went in on Noble, there was a little more pressure going in second-to-last, but I knew how it was going to ride. He’s always right there for me, too,” she expressed. “I wanted to land and turn and be as slick as possible while still being smart.” The pair earned a score of 88.50, the highest in the second round, to gallop home with the victory and a two-round total of 176.50.
Prockow was thrilled with the outcome, saying “I’ve always joked in the barn that my ultimate goal is to win a derby, so I’m super excited, especially with those two great horses.”
$7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby Results
Emma Bao and Candid Traveler Jet-Set to the Top in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby
Twenty-seven horse-and-rider combinations vied for top honors in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby on Friday afternoon, and it was Canadian rider Emma Bao who bested the rest to fly home with the victory aboard her own Candid Traveler (Casall x Tora II).
Candid Traveler, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding known as “Cash” around the barn, was at the top of his game on Friday. “He loves the Stadium ring. He can open his stride and feel his best, and he feels so happy just cantering around these beautiful jumps.” The pair laid down a solid first trip to secure third place with a score of 91.
Bao and Cash returned for the handy planning to stay consistent and keep their placing. “The goal was to stay where I was. I was nervous about the second-to-last jump because it’s such an upright vertical, so I went a little bit wide there, but he ended up jumping it amazing.” The pair managed to take over the lead with a score of 92 and a total score of 183, securing their first hunter derby win together at World Equestrian Center – Ocala.
Practice makes perfect for Bao, who shared, “This is the time when it clicks. Derbies are so much different from hunter rounds, but I think the more I’ve done in the equitation ring, the better I’m riding in the hunters.”
$7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior 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
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes! Plan your stay at World Equestrian Center – Ocala.