Ocala, FL – This Friday, Hunter 1 hosted the tenth Hunter Derby Day of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series, seeing 67 competitors across three derby classes: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, and $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. This week’s course designer, Kevin Holowack, built flowing tracks complete with impressive jumps such as a hedge wall, pergola standards bursting with pink flowers and an abundance of greenery to create a natural feel for horses and riders alike.
Eleven entries contested for victory in the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby to round out the day, and Daniel Geitner made easy work of the tracks with Laura Cramer’s Easy Money, a 2013 Oldenburg gelding by Fairbanks x Stutbuch, to win the class.
Geitner and “Easy” have been a team for quite some time now. “I’ve had the ride on him, gosh, it’s been four or five years. He’s just a cool guy. He’s a big horse but can really gallop to the jumps. It’s pretty cool – we’ll have him for the winter and then spring, and then Laura [Cramer] takes him home and turns him out for the rest of the year. I think that’s a testament to her care,” Geitner expressed.
The pair laid down two solid rounds, scoring an 89 in the classic round and securing a score of 94 in the handy, the highest of the second round. Geitner felt the gelding came out focused and ready to win from the start. “He was good in the first round, and then in the handy, I just knew he was on when he picked up the canter,” he shared. “There was an inside turn after the hedge, but to me, it was a little bit risky. I decided to curl around the in of the two-stride and slip inside of the island to the last jump. It almost dared both of my horses into jumping the last jump really well, coming in on a slice.”
The duo finished on a two-round total of 183 to gallop home with the top prize.
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Maddie Tosh and Ulysses Dominate the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Maddie Tosh and Ulysses pulled off another win in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby on Friday morning. Tosh and Betsee Parker’s Ulysses (Diarado x Winday) also took top honors during Week IX in the WEC Stadium, and the pair returned to best this week’s field of 19 competitors in Hunter 1.
“He’s been so consistent this winter. He’s such a cool horse: Any atmosphere you put him in, any ring you put him in, he always tries to win,” Tosh said of her repeat victory with the 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding. “I’ve had him for a very long time. He was a 1.60m horse in Europe before I got him. We did equitation at first, and I won the medal at Devon on him. The next year, we did Derby Finals. He’s the kind of horse that can do whatever you ask of him.”
Tosh was pleased with Ulysses in the first round, saying, “My horse jumped in great form in the first round. The jumps were nice derby elements, so it gave him a little something to look at, and I thought he went very smooth. There weren’t a lot of related distances, which I like. There were a lot of single jumps and long bending lines, and I was able to keep a nice, loose gallop.” Earning a score of 92, the pair sat in first place after the classic round.
Returning last for the handy, Tosh’s goal was to stay steady so Ulysses could shine. “I never want to put too much pressure on this horse because he can start jumping very high, so I just wanted to keep it as smooth as possible. I turned inside of the island, but there weren’t many places to slip inside or be super sneaky, so I wanted to play it safe and give him time to jump and do his thing. He was fantastic.”
Ulysses gave a spectacular jumping effort over the final oxer on course to finish the round with an impressive score of 95 and a two-round total of 187.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Health USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Cara Garito and Tangelina Take the Blue in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
A strong field of 37 horse-and-rider combinations came to Hunter 1 on Friday afternoon for the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, with the top honors being awarded to Cara Garito and her own Tangelina (Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve x Lucienne).
Garito purchased the coming nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare three years ago, and she has already proven herself on the international hunter derby stage, piloted by Amanda Steege. This is Garito’s first derby win with her, making it an especially sweet victory.
The pair executed a seamless first round to secure a score of 92 and take over the top spot. “I was a little nervous going to jump one because you went by the grandstand there, and she sometimes gets a little nervous there. But we executed that fine, and then honestly after that, she was riding like a dream.”
In the handy, Garito had a simple plan. “Execute,” she laughed. “There weren’t many handy options to choose between, so I felt I could focus on my path and my pace and just get it done. I tried to stay tidy where I could and just tried to breathe and execute.” Earning an impressive score of 93, Garito and Tangelina kept their lead and secured the win with a two-round total of 185.
Overjoyed with their performance together, Garito expressed, “I’m so happy, I could cry. Today was my most consistent day ever. I’ve been first in one round or first in the other, but I’ve never been able to put the two together.”
$15,000 USHJA 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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