Ocala, FL – The fourth Hunter Derby Friday of the 2024 Summer Series captivated Indoor Arena 1 as a talented field of hunter combinations showcased their skills in three derbies: the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Tucker Williams designed the courses for the three derbies, featuring stunning natural fences that allowed the horses to display their brilliance.
In the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, Dorothy Douglas claimed first place with Abigail Davenport’s MTM Lolah LOL (Los Angeles x Palma) and secured third place riding MTM Ahoy (Dinken x Baja), owned by Nina Koloseike.
Douglas first competed with MTM Ahoy, a eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding, earning a score of 87 in the first round, positioning them in second place for the handy round. Later, she rode the 11-year-old Westphalian mare MTM Lolah LOL, achieving an impressive score of 90 in the first round.
“My plan for the handy was the same with both horses. I wanted to be smooth and do a couple of inside turns, but not do anything too risky,” Douglas shared.
MTM Ahoy delivered another solid performance in the handy round, scoring 88 and bringing their two-round total to 175, securing third place. MTM Lolah LOL continued to impress in the handy round, earning a score of 88.5 for an overall total of 178.5.
Douglas is preparing both horses for Derby Finals in August. “Derby Finals is the plan with both of them. This will be MTM Ahoy’s first time, so that’s exciting. It’s so nice that WEC offers these derbies each week. We can keep them like grand prix horses, where this is their main job for the week. They do one class a week and then go back in the field,” she explained.
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 MTM Lolah LOL, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 90 | 88.5 | 178.5
2 Cataumet, Lauren Schweppe, Cynthia Boudreau: 86 | 91 | 177
3 MTM Ahoy, Dorothy Douglas, Nina Koloseike: 87 | 88 | 175
4 Oh Hello, Jake Evans, Make A Splash, LLC: 84 | 89 | 173
5 Calisinni Ssh, Mickie Sage, Senary Sport Horses: 77 | 83 | 160
6 So They Say, Brooke Cudmore, Kathleen Rose: 80 | 78 | 158
7 Karrera 21, Amy Stanley, Highgate Ventures LLC: 68 | 64 | 132
8 Cotham De Chalusse, Robert Mendoza, Traci Ribeiro: 49 | 49 | 98
Jennifer Tate and Carsten S Claim the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Win
Early this morning, a field of stunning hunters gathered at Indoor Arena 1 to compete in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. It was Jennifer Tate and her longtime partner Carsten S (Cassini LL x Marabella R), owned by Barbara Kravetz, who claimed the top prize.
Tate and the 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding delivered a beautiful first round, earning a score of 91 from the judges. Carsten S has been a steadfast partner for Tate. “We’ve had him since he was six. His owner, Barbara Kravetz, will keep him forever. He’s a great steady eddy. We know each other very well. He knows what I am thinking, and I know what he’s thinking,” she added.
In the handy round, Tate leveraged her understanding of the talented gelding. “He’s such a big horse. I knew he would do better with wider turns because tight turns don’t always suit his size,” she laughed. “So, I stayed neat and a little wide, and that seemed to work out for him.”
The pair floated around the handy track, earning a score of 89 for a two-round total of 180, securing the win.
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Carsten S, Jennifer Tate, Barbara Kravetz: 91 | 89 | 180
2 San Angelo, Jake Evans, Empire Lane LLC: 87 | 92 | 179
3 Callao 7, Molly Dinapoli, Shelby Lucey: 85 | 90 | 175
4 MTM Grateful, Crystal Young, Adelle Alletto: 83 | 89.5 | 172.5
5 MTM Nonchalant, Crystal Young, Adelle Alletto: 77 | 90.5 | 167.5
6 Lost Boy, Mari Gromkowski, Kristiina Claffee: 76 | 84 | 160
7 High Society, Crystal Young, Adelle Alletto: 75 | 83 | 158
8 Suntory, Jake Evans, Make A Splash LLC: 89 | 44 | 133
9 King Of Hearts, Isaac Leffkowitz, Douglas Wheeler: 88 | 44 | 132
10 Aladdin, Jenny Miller, Jenny Miller: 81 | 42 | 123
Hayley Waters Wear and Bull Run’s Valentino Prevail in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Hayley Waters Wear clinched the blue ribbon in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, riding Bull Run Jumpers, Inc.’s Bull Run’s Valentino.
Waters Wear guided the 11-year-old Warmblood gelding to a smooth first round, earning a score of 86. Bull Run’s Valentino is a new ride for Waters Wear. “My friend, Kristen Vanderveen, recently imported him, and he is such a cool guy. I love how brave he is. He hasn’t been doing the hunters for very long, but he has adapted quickly. He’s super rideable and jumps beautifully too!”
Returning for the handy round in the lead, Waters Wear aimed to maintain her momentum. “The horse before me received a high score, so I knew I needed to take the inside options and be as handy as possible.”
She navigated Bull Run’s Valentino to an effortless round, achieving a high score of 91 and securing an overall total of 177 for the win.
$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 Bull Run’s Valentino, Hayley Waters Wear, Bull Run Jumpers, Inc.: 86 | 91 | 177
2 Curtis 89, Josephine Demmo, Josephine Demmop: 84.5 | 92 | 176.5
3 Jurrney, Wendy Rice, Wendy Rice: 79 | 79 | 158
4 Reality Star, Carsyn Korotkin, Sandalwood Farms: 81 | 76 | 157
5 Quintessa Wss, Katie Giddings, Nicole Lean: 80 | 76.5 | 156.5
6 Expresso, Kaitlyn Christopherson, Kaitlyn Christopherson: 83 | 72 | 155
7 Kadans T, Alexandra Ader, Maarten HuygenP: 77 | 77 | 154
8 Cingsley 2, Gabriella Savettiere: 75 | 77 | 152
9 Chummy, Vivian Heyer, Dennis Michelle: 70 | 79 | 149
10 Es Truly Yours, Carrie Dickenson, Bonnie Way Equestrian: 82 | 64 | 146
Visit HorseShowing.com for final 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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