Ocala, FL – Nearly 90 stunning hunters graced the WEC Stadium during Week IV of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Keith Bollotte crafted the natural and open tracks for the three hunter derbies: $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby.
Daniel Geitner once again dominated the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, clinching not only the victory aboard Laura Cramer’s Easy Money but also securing second place with Coltrane.
Geitner entered the arena first aboard Coltrane (Casall x Carano). The duo elegantly navigated the first round course, earning a score of 91. In the handy round, Geitner and the 10-year-old KWPN gelding, owned by Magnolia Lane Stables LLC, garnered an impressive score of 96, totaling 187 over two rounds.
“I was a little mad at myself in the first round with Coltrane. I was a little slow to the second jump trying to protect it. I wanted to make up for it in the handy, and he sure did. I think that was the handiest I’ve ever been on him, he may have just won a jump-off class,” chuckled Geitner.
Easy Money (Fairbanks x Stutbuch), a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Laura Cramer, posted a commendable score of 92.5 in the first round and an impressive 95 in the handy round, totaling 187.5 for the victory.
“Last week we won in the smaller ring, but he just thrives out here in the Stadium. He does his best when he can just gallop and there is no related distances. He’s so brave, and he loves an atmosphere.”
Geitner attributes the success of his horses this season to the break they received before the circuit, “All of my horses have been doing great. I think it’s a testament to my whole crew, my riders, grooms, vets, blacksmiths, and team. We make it a point to really have an easy start to the winter. We take off their blankets, let them grow hair and be horses. If you saw Coltrane a month ago, you would have thought he was a lead pony,” laughed Geitner. “Giving them that time to be horses allows them to come here and be fresh and excited to do their jobs.”
$20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 Easy Money, Daniel Geitner, Laura Cramer: 92.5 | 95 | 187.5
2 Coltrane, Daniel Geitner, Magnolia Lane Stables, LLC: 91 | 96 | 187
3 Chacco Ricco, Erika Moore, Noble Steeds LLC: 89 | 94 | 183
4 Something Blue, Josh Dolan, Meg Robinson: 92 | 90.5 | 182.5
5 Golden Ticket, Addison McQuaker, Addison McQuaker: 93 | 89 | 182
6 Lafitte De Muze, Amanda Steege, Cheryl Olsten: 94 | 83 | 177
7 Gangster, Madison Stewart, Beth Lebeau: 83 | 92 | 175
8 Julington, Jenny Miller, Jenny Miller: 85 | 88 | 173
9 Oh Hello, Jake Evans, Make A Splash, LLC: 79 | 89 | 168
10 Pinot Del Sole, Tiffany Cambria, Nina Fox: 82 | 81 | 163
Jennifer Jones and Lincoln Cruise to the Top in $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Jennifer Jones guided Elle Gibbs’ Lincoln (Navajo V’ant Vianahof x Cartagena Indias Ecaussinnes) to victory in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, topping a field of thirty horse-and-rider combinations at the WEC Stadium. Jones delivered two remarkable scores in the mid-90s to take home the win.
The competition in the Open Hunter Derby was intense, with the highest score in the first round reaching 95. Jones closely followed suit with an impressive score of 94 aboard the striking seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.
“The first round rode nice. This horse isn’t spooky at all, so the first jump being the hedge wasn’t even an issue. Actually, it made him excited about showing. The rest was very smooth,” shared Jones.
Heading into the handy round, Jones and Lincoln held the second position. “I went earlier on my first horse, who is a little on the greener side, and he wasn’t quite too sure about the turning, but this guy knows what’s going on. I was able to be pretty handy, and really gallop to the last jump.”
The duo elegantly maneuvered the handy track, earning another impressive score of 95, securing a two-round total of 189 for the victory.
“This is such a special ring. There’s not a lot of shows that have a venue like this for the derbies, so it’s really nice to come out here on Fridays and have such a good experience,” said Jones.
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Lincoln, Jennifer Jones, Elle Gibbs: 94 | 95 | 189
2 Small Love, Kate Conover, Iwasaki & Reilly: 92 | 96 | 188
3 Shameless, Josh Dolan, Kim Domenicone: 95 | 92 | 187
4 Small Story, Kate Conover, Iwasaki & Reilly: 88.5 | 93 | 181.5
5 Prado, Kate Conover, Falcon Ridge Stables: 89 | 91 | 180
6 Hero, Kelly Mullen, Ellen Brandt: 85.5 | 88 | 173.5
7 Ufeelme, Sam Meadows, Price Farms LLC: 86.5 | 86 | 172.5
8 Eldoret, Jake Evans, Karen Redding: 87 | 85 | 172
9 Caligua, Clair Kellner, Suzanne Cayatte: 88 | 82 | 170
10 Blue Monday, Hillary Johnson, Stephanie Battershall: 86 | 79 | 165
Grace Loughlin Scores Back-to-Back Wins in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Forty-two talented junior and amateur athletes competed for the top prize in the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but Grace Loughlin secured her second consecutive victory aboard Loughlin Sport Horses’ Briljant Z (Balougran Z x Robijn).
Loughlin guided the 16-year-old Warmblood gelding through a stellar first round, opting to jump all four high options for a score of 85.
“The first-round rode well. It really flowed. It’s a big ring so you could just let your horse open their stride and just go forward. I felt like everything showed up beautifully on its own.”
Heading into the handy round, Loughlin aimed to make up a few points to take the lead. “I wanted to be as tidy as possible. I wasn’t too sure about turning infront of the gazebo, but then I saw other people doing it, so then I knew I had to do it.”
Scoring 89 in the handy round, combined with their first-round score of 85, gave them a total of 174, securing the top spot on the leaderboard.
“I was so happy with the trot jump. Sometimes we struggle with the trot jumps, but today it felt perfect. I was so happy with him.”
Loughlin is delighted with her success during the winter circuit, capturing two derby victories. “It feels so great. I go back to college next week, so I am so happy to be ending on such a good note.”
$15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 Briljant Z, Grace Loughlin, Loughlin Sport Horses: 85 | 89 | 174
2 Velveted, Kristen Jones, Kristen Jones: 84.5 | 86 | 170.5
3 Spectacular, Sarah Entzian, Sarah Entzian: 76 | 92 | 168
4 Red Roc, Kiera Phlipot, Kiera Phlipot: 86 | 81 | 167
5 Conlaro, Ella Tarumianz, Deer Creek Farm LLC: 88 | 78.75 | 166.75
6 Balou Label, Molly Braswell, Terrapin Hill Farm, LL: 87 | 78.5 | 165.5
7 Jaguar, Tori Leitman, Tori Leitman: 84 | 79 | 163
8 Brightside, Drew Mallahan, Drew Mallahan: 78.75 | 84 | 162.75
9 Coltrane, Erica Prockow, Avery Lambert: 78.5 | 82 | 160.5
10 Favoriet, Melanie Meyers, Melanie Meyers: 82 | 78 | 160
‘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 Clair Kellner for her classic style and her 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. Kellner received an elegant duffel bag and wore a white rose corsage on her lapel throughout the handy round to signify her achievement.
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.
A limited number of weekly stalls remain for the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, book your stall today!
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