Ocala, FL – The eighth Hunter Derby Friday of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series was a fun day of competition complete with ringside donuts and coffee. Hunter 1 hosted 68 competitors for four classes: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby, $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby, and the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby. Course designer Joe Carnicom built straightforward courses of unrelated distances encouraging horse-and-rider combinations to tackle each jump on an open stride.
The $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby took on a different format this week, shifting to a hunt-and-go on Friday to stay ahead of the cooler temperatures rolling in. In this format, horse-and-rider combinations completed a classic-style hunter round before transitioning seamlessly into the handy portion after fence six, where they had the chance to showcase their adjustability and precision.
Dorothy Douglas maintained her lead aboard one of her top derby mounts, MTM Lolah LOL (Los Angeles x Palma), owned by Abigail Davenport. Douglas guided the 12-year-old Westphalian mare through a beautifully executed first phase, earning a score of 90. She then wasted no time shifting into the handy round, where Lolah’s agility shined. Another score of 90 secured their victory with a two-round total of 180.
“It was fun to do a hunt-and-go today. It suited ‘Lolah’ well. She’s so careful and handy. Once we got the momentum to jump one, the rest just flowed so nicely,” said Douglas. A longtime partner of Lolah, Douglas reflected on their journey together. “I think I’ve been riding her since she was six years old, so I know her really well at this point. She has so much scope and just really shines in the derbies. She is always so handy—I never really have to debate a turn because I know she can do it.”
Douglas used this class as a warm-up for next week’s World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) competition and the $80,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, set to take place Friday night under the lights of the WEC Stadium. “We came out today to get a bit warmed up for next week. She loves the Stadium, and with it being under the lights, it makes for a fun atmosphere,” she added.
Douglas also delivered a strong performance with her other mount, MTM Ahoy with a final score of 178 for third place.
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6″-3’9″ Hunter Derby Results
Guy Cambria and Figure of Speech Bring the Heat in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Friday morning brought cooler weather to Ocala, but the chill didn’t deter a strong field of 19 competitors from showing up for the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3′ Open Hunter Derby. Guy Cambria secured top honors aboard Amy Squier Perez’ Figure of Speech, a coming nine-year old Holsteiner gelding by Casall x Anna-To.
The cold doesn’t seem to bother the coming nine-year-old gelding, Cambria shared. “He’s so funny — once he gets in the ring, he knows it’s time to show off. He might do things outside the ring, like watching the leaves, but once he goes in the ring, he knows what to do.” He continued, “He’s a lot of fun to ride. He’s easy to prepare and get to the ring — he’s just a barn favorite.”
The first round consisted of almost entirely single fences, except for a two-stride combination. “He really likes having unrelated distances,” Cambria shared about the gelding, “You can just come out of the corner and let him canter up to the jump and show him off a little bit.” The duo earned a score of 91 for their performance, putting them at the top of the rankings going into the second round.
Last to return for the handy, Cambria and Figure of Speech had a simple plan. “We just wanted to be smooth, make the nice turns when we could, and let the horse show off what he’s capable of doing.” This strategy secured the pair a score of 89.50. With the highest scores in both the first round and the handy, the pair took home the victory with a combined total score of 180.50.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3′ Open Hunter Derby Results
Mary Beth McGee and Sergant Drew Wu Jof March to First in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby
The $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby saw 19 horse-and-rider teams tackle the course, but it was Mary Beth McGee riding her own Sergant Drew Wu Jof (Diarado x Carabiena Jof) who claimed victory.
The coming nine-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding is relatively new to McGee, who purchased him last year during the European Sport Horse Auction in Ocala, but he’s already proven to be a successful partner. “He’s got the funniest name, but he’s super cute. He has been reserve or champion in the amateur divisions often, and he loves these derbies. He’s so brave and sweet.”
Reflecting on her first course, McGee shared, “Everything was riding beautifully for the most part. I needed a lead change after the green oxer, and this gray vertical came up a little quick, and he just had a little rub. Without the rub, it would’ve been one of my top scores.” The pair ended the round in third place with a score of 87.
“I wanted to make sure I stayed handy with the turns and that I didn’t rush the trot jump because I usually do,” McGee laughed, sharing her strategy coming into the handy round. “But he stayed nice and slow to the trot jump and landed right, which I love, and then he was good to the last.” Earning another score of 87 for a total score of 174, McGee and Sergant Drew Wu Jof bested the field of competitors to come out on top.
$7,500 USHJA National 3′ Amateur Hunter Derby Results
Lilly Geitner and Banks Mill Reign in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby
Lilly Geitner piloted Daniel Geitner’s Banks Mill, a 14-year-old Warmblood gelding, to yet another derby win in the $7,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby.
Geitner and Banks Mill are regulars in this class, and the duo stepped confidently into the arena for their first round. “I really liked both courses today. There were a lot of singles, which I like because I can ride off my eye and get on a good gallop. Everything came up out of stride for me.” The pair took the lead with a score of 92.
In the handy, Geitner opted for an exceptionally handy track, making a nearly 180-degree rollback turn on the landing of the trot jump to the final fence. Geitner shared what she was thinking, “The last turn I was not planning on, but then I just decided to go for it! He did it perfectly. He turns on a dime, so it’s so fun to do handys with him.” Her risk earned her a solid second-round score of 89. Their two-round total of 181 was good enough to protect their lead and earn them the blue ribbon.
Geitner believes her time in the jumper ring helps her navigate those tight tracks. “Every time we walk the derby course, my dad says, ‘What’s the jump-off?’ It’s so fun to get a good gallop and do the turns, especially when I have such a great horse like Banks Mill.”
$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
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