Ocala, FL – The penultimate Hunter Derby Friday of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series saw nearly 120 graceful hunters competing across four derbies: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby, and the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby. Designed by Patrick Rhodes, the natural tracks featured winding bending lines that allowed combinations to showcase their brilliance.
In a notable change, the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby adopted a Hunt and Go format for this week. This format combined the classic hunter round and the handy round, with combinations transitioning directly from the final jump of first round into the handy portion. Daniel Geitner demonstrated mastery of this format, clinching first place aboard Your Welcome BC (Toulon x Kara BC) owned by Donald Stewart and second place with Aeronautic owned by Martin Schlaeppi.
Geitner expressed his favorite elements of the track, “The last jump of the first round, you had a long gallop, so I took a breath and let the horse’s take a little breather. In my head, I was able to run over the handy, it was a neat handy track. I just tried to be tidy around the jumps, turn neat. All of my horses were inexperienced, my second-place horse this is his first derby of any kind. I just wanted to give them both a nice experience. So, it’s nice when it turns out like this.“
Geitner and the seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Your Welcome BC, set the bar high, delivering a flawless performance with consistent scores of 90 in both rounds, resulting in an impressive overall score of 180 and claiming the winning title.
“This is his first big derby. Typical Don, he’s always right. He said he was bored with the lower jumps, so let’s do him in the big derby. He’s just such a star, they didn’t ride him in the ring, he hasn’t shown him all week. They didn’t hand walk him because they wanted him to be fresh. He is just a star. He was bred to be a star. Don has done and amazing job with him. He was right. It was like a whole new horse and just got higher and higher over the jumps.”
Geitner piloted Aeronautic through another polished performance, earning a first-round score of 85 and a second-round score of 92, for a total of 177 to secure second place.
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 Your Welcome BC, Daniel Geitner, Donald Stewart: 90 | 90 | 180
2 Aeronautic, Daniel Geitner, Martin Schlaeppi: 85 | 92 | 177
3 Cataumet, Lauren Schweppe, Cynthia Boudreau: 87 | 88 | 175
4 Malibu Ken, Tiffany Cambria, Kym K Smith: 86 | 87 | 173
5 In The Know, Samantha Schaefer, Madeline Schaefer: 77 | 89 | 166
6 Waymaker, Camryn Halley, Halley Barrett Sporthorses: 81 | 77 | 158
7 Figure Of Speech, Guy Cambria, Amy Squier Perez: 79 | 76 | 155
8 Story Hour, Daniel Geitner, Double E, LLC: 69 | 85 | 154
9 Chacco Ricco, Erika Moore, Noble Steeds LLC: 78 | 74 | 152
10 Dario, Molly McAdow, Molly Zygmont: 74.5 | 75 | 149.5
Jennifer Jones Claims Another $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby Victory
The $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby welcomed 37 stunning hunters to compete over an elegant and winding track set by Patrick Rhodes. Jennifer Jones received the highest score of the circuit in the handy round aboard the stylish Copper Canyon (Irish Wiskey Z x Fubertha), owned by Adele Einhorn, to ultimately gallop away with yet another Open Derby victory.
Jones has racked up a number of Open Derby victories this circuit, and she continued her winning ways today aboard Copper Canyon. The pair delivered an effortless first round for a high score of 94.
Coming back for the handy, Jones was aiming for perfection, “Last week, I messed up on that horse, so I felt like I owed him one,” she laughed. “My plan was to go fast to the first jump, smooth to two to three, then take the inside turn after three. I knew he could do that really well. The only question I had was to go around the tree to the in and out, but we got down the seven easily, so we were able to make the turn. Then he was perfect to the last two jumps.”
A superior score of 99, for a two-round total of 193, set Jones and Copper Canyon on top of the leaderboard once again. “That’s a high score for me. He deserves it and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Jones has been riding the seven-year-old Warmblood gelding for several years now, “I’ve ridden him for three years. I rode him at his very first show in America, which was actually here. I did two years of greens with him and this year we’ve focused on the derbies.”
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Copper Canyon, Jennifer Jones, Adele Einhorn: 94 | 99 | 193
2 Prado, Kate Conover, Falcon Ridge Stables: 93 | 95 | 188
3 Cupido Zg Z, Megan Wexler, Catherine Merrill: 89.85 | 94 | 183.85
4 Not To Worry, Tiffany Cambria, Sabrina Hellman: 89.25 | 92 | 181.25
5 Soundcheck, Jennifer Jones, Brick City Equestrian LLC: 89 | 91 | 180
6 Stornello, Jake Parker Wymard, Angela L. Licata-Misiakiewicz: 84.5 | 89 | 173.5
7 Game On, Sarah Gordon, Linda Brill: 87 | 80 | 167
8 PS Unforgettable, Jenny Miller, Ps Riverstone: 89.75 | 69 | 158.75
9 Elliot, Hillary Johnson, Copper Fox LLC: 91 | 64 | 155
10 Quinto Van Godselbos, Amanda Steege, Sea Shore Stables LLC: 90 | 48 | 138
Maddie Tosh and Chorus Claim the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby
Once again, Maddie Tosh emerged victorious in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby, this time securing the win aboard Catherine Wheeler’s Chorus (Stakkato x T-Contina) with two flawless performances.
In the first round, Tosh and the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding showcased a seamless track, earning a score of 90.5. Reflecting on the course, Tosh remarked, “I think it rode really nice. There were a lot of loose bending lines, where you could get on a nice gallop and just continue. ‘Chorus’ has a huge stride and a great rhythm, so once you get him into gear, he’s awesome.”
Returning for the handy round in third place, Tosh had a plan for the seasoned gelding, “I wanted to go ahead and take all of the chances on him because he’s so handy and he’s a bit of a smaller horse, so he is able to do all of the handy turns well. He is a great horse that you can really call on.”
With another impressive score of 94, their combined total of 184.5 secured yet another triumph for Tosh in her impressive roster of achievements this circuit.
$15,000 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby Results:
1 Chorus, Maddie Tosh, Catherine Wheeler: 90.5 | 94 | 184.5
2 Challenger, Maggie King, Maggie King: 91 | 90 | 181
3 Banks Mill, Lillian Geitner, Daniel Geitner: 89.5 | 88 | 177.5
4 Lex Lano, Lillian Geitner, Donald Stewart: 84 | 91 | 175
5 Ulysses, Maddie Tosh, Betsee Parker: 92 | 77 | 169
6 Jet Puff, Charlotte Graham, Donald Stewart: 86 | 82 | 168
7 The Ridge Cavalier, Mary Van Pelt, Mary Van Pelt: 85 | 80 | 165
8 Lucky Luuk, Anna Klee, Anna Klee: 87.5 | 75 | 162.5
9 St. Elmo’s Fire, Anna Klee, Anna Klee: 87.5 | 75 | 162.5
10 Paperboy, Anna Tyler, Brighton Farms: 88 | 69 | 157
Hayley Waters Wear and Genuine Land the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby
Thirty-two exceptional horse-and-rider duos showcased their talents in pursuit of victory, yet it was Hayley Waters Wear and Dana Waters’ Genuine (Diarado x Kampari W) that captured the win after the pair impressed the judges with two flawless rounds.
Waters Wear and the nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding delivered an effortless first round, earning a commendable score of 88.
Heading into the handy round with ground to cover, Waters Wear approached the challenge with determination. “Coming back fourth, I knew I needed to be as handy as I could to move up at all. There were a couple of inside options that I knew I needed to do. Genuine is really adjustable, which makes him so fun to ride in the handy.”
With another impressive score of 92, culminating in an overall score of 180, Waters Wear and Genuine galloped away with the lion’s share of the prize money.
“I’ve had him for about a year now. He has a really fun personality, and I think we get along so well because I let him do whatever he wants,” laughed Waters Wear. “He’s really reliable, and I love riding him!”
$15,000 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby Results:
1 Genuine, Hayley Waters Wear, Dana Waters: 88 | 92 | 180
2 Canyon, Brittany Warden, Glebe Ventures LLC: 89.5 | 89 | 178.5
3 Tangelina, Cara Garito, Cara Garito: 86 | 90 | 176
4 Watermark, Kiley Prime, Kiley Prime: 89 | 86 | 175
5 Carano, Jamie Planck McRee, Providence Hill Farm, LLC: 80 | 88 | 168
6 Agave, Isabel Harbour, Imh Equine, LLC: 90 | 77.5 | 167.5
7 Road To Joy, Leah Embrey, Leah Embrey: 83 | 84 | 167
8 What’s Up, Molly Braswell, Terrapin Hill Farm, LLC: 78 | 79 | 157
9 Carmacho, Jordyn Mirgoli, Jordyn Mirgoli: 76.25 | 78 | 154.25
10 Silent Partner, Marcy Tremblay, Marcy Tremblay: 77 | 75 | 152
‘THE STYLE OF RIDING AWARD’
Before the start of the handy round in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, Bill Rube presented the prestigious Style of Riding Award to Jake Parker Wymard for his classic style and sportsmanship. The recipient serves as a role model for preserving the integrity and tradition of equestrian sport. “This award is very special to me because the recipient of this award pays it forward both in and out of the show ring,” says Rube. Wymard received a duffel bag and wore a white rose corsage on his lapel throughout the handy round to signify his achievement.
Visit HorseShowing.com for final results.
Spectators are welcome! From now until March 24, 2024, experience the thrill of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
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