Ocala, FL – The first Hunter Derby Friday of the 2025 WEC – Ocala Spring Series started with gorgeous weather as 34 horse-and-rider combinations navigated flowing courses designed by Lynn Mullins. Hedges, birch standards, and an abundance of greenery brought a natural, woodsy feeling to Hunter 1 as riders contested for the win in two hunter derbies: the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby and the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby.
Fifteen entries were seen for the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. Ultimately, Josh Dolan dominated the class, taking top honors aboard Make A Splash, LLC’s Marty McFly (Le Blue Diamond Van’t Ruhytershof x Eloubet Van De Doorn-Donkhoeve) and claiming second place with Elizabeth Jacobs’ Catfished.
Dolan piloted the seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Marty McFly around the first course seamlessly, feeling that the track suited their strengths. “I really liked the first round. I like it when there’s not too many related distances. I think it gives you a chance to show off and ride your horse more appropriately.” The pair earned a classic round score of 86, taking the third spot on the leaderboard heading into the handy round.
The handy saw riders take a variety of tracks, and Dolan chose to navigate several inside turns to make a strong impression. He explained, “I figured why not go for it! He was awesome and followed me well. I think the hardest part about producing hunters is for the horse to learn how to be soft and follow your eye, and he did it really well.” His bold approach earned an impressive score of 94, bringing their two-round total to 180 and securing the win.
Both horses are new to Dolan, making their derby debuts this week. He was thrilled with their performances, sharing, “this was [Marty McFly’s] first show in the United States. Wednesday was his first time ever setting foot in a hunter ring, and he won the class. I was really happy with him. It’s just a fun energy to have to start both these horses’ careers with success. Especially because this is what we bought them for – we got them to be derby specialists.”
Dolan and the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding Catfished (Cassini 2 x Solagurye) led after the first round with an impressive score of 90. They continued their strong performance in the handy with an 86, finishing with an overall total of 176 to secure second place.
$5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Kristine D’Andrea and Valeria M are Victorious in $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
The sun was still shining Friday afternoon as 19 competitors took to the arena for the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Kristine D’Andrea laid down two solid rounds to best the field with her own Valeria M, a nine-year-old Westphalian mare by Vagabond De La Pomme x Laskaja.
D’Andrea and Valeria M have been partners for quite some time, but the pair recently reunited after some time apart. “I’ve had her for about four years now,” D’Andrea shared. “I got her when she was four years old, just imported. She’s been great. She’s taken me all the way from 2’6” up to 3’3”. She came back from a lease in December, and I was like, ‘okay, let’s do this again!’”
The pair took the lead after the first round with a score of 88. “My first round was smooth. There weren’t any related distances beside the two-stride, so I could ride everything off my eye, which is nice! She doesn’t like straight lines as much, so derbies are definitely her thing. Everything worked out to plan in the first round, so it was great.”
Coming back for the handy, D’Andrea wanted to emulate her performance in the first round, leaving room to adjust as necessary. “The plan was just to go smooth. There were a lot of inside-turn options, so I decided to see how each jump presented itself, and depending on how we landed, choose what turn to take. It all worked out great.” The duo earned a score of 86 in the handy. Ending with a cumulative score of 174, D’Andrea and Valeria M held an 11-point lead to take home the blue.
$5,000 USHJA National 3’ 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.
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