Ocala, FL – Hunter Derby Friday once again took over Indoor Arena 1 as nearly 70 horse-and-rider combinations competed in three exciting 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. Course designer Peter Grant crafted the winding tracks that tested both rideability and precision.
In the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, Daniel Geitner and Lexy Reed both scored an impressive 181 overall. However, it was Reed’s base scores that ultimately secured her the blue ribbon aboard Kate Sieveking’s RSH Kalman (Talmann x Revina).
Reed guided the nine-year-old KWPN gelding to a beautiful first round, scoring 89 after opting to jump only two of the four high options.
This was Reed’s first time showing RSH Kalman in a big derby. “We got ‘Pretzel’ six months ago from Bibi Farmer of Derby Lane Farms. We bought him as a Junior Hunter for one of our kids, and he did so great in the Performance Hunters this week that we decided to enter him in the derby because of the great prize money,” Reed shared.
Returning for the handy round, the pair was sitting in second place. “There were a lot of options. You could be really handy if you wanted to be, especially with the high options, but there were also opportunities to take a more conservative route. I decided to go for it and have some fun, and it paid off for us today.”
The duo floated around the handy course for a high score of 92, bringing their overall total to 181.
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 RSH Kalman, Lexy Reed, Kate Sieveking: 89 | 92 | 181
2 Coltrane, Daniel Geitner, Magnolia Lane Stables, LLC: 90 | 91 | 181
3 Callao 7, Molly Dinapoli, Shelby Lucey: 77 | 89 | 166
4 Stroyville, Stephanie Frey, Leslie Kramer: 84 | 78 | 162
5 Visconti, Daniel Geitner, Olivia Pharr: 74 | 76 | 150
6 Balouberry London, Sara Sprague, Judith Sprague: 74 | 74 | 148
7 Isle Royale, Lauren Patterson, Deborah Wroblewski: 88 | 43 | 131
8 Something Blue, Josh Dolan, Meg Robinson: 59 | 68 | 127
9 FRF Marquis, Elizabeth Barnes, Elizabeth Barnes: 60 | 66 | 126
10 Emerson Van De Meulenberg Z, Kris Killam, Audrey Muscari: 44 | 78 | 122
Double Victory for Tracy Fenney in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
The $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby saw 25 horse-and-rider pairs vying for top honors, but it was Tracy Fenney who stole the spotlight, claiming both first and second place with her talented young mounts, MTM Chic Flick (Chac Boy x Carthana) and MTM Knock Out, both owned by MTM Farm.
Fenney clinched first place riding the seven-year-old Warmblood mare, MTM Chic Flick, with a remarkable first-round score of 96 and an impressive handy score of 94 for an overall score of 190, just 10 points shy of a perfect score.
“I’ve had her for about six months. I didn’t show her this winter because we wanted her to settle in,” Fenney shared. “I know she’s really brave to the jumps, so going into the class today, I just let her show off. She’s a little unsuspecting because she just trots in with her head low, and then gives you this wow jump! She takes no prep, and she’s just a doll to ride.”
Fenney’s momentum continued with MTM Knock Out (Star Power x Galina), a nine-year-old Warmblood gelding, who earned a first-round score of 92 and a handy score of 91, totaling 183 and securing second place.
Reflecting on the busy morning before the derbies, Fenney said, “Both Dorrie [Douglas] and I had three horses in the derbies, and I had two in the 1.20m and she had one. Then I had another in the 1.30m, so I think in the first two hours of the show, we rode 10 horses. But it’s so fun to ride a bunch in the class with Dorrie. It takes a team, but we all have a great time doing it.”
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 MTM Chic Flick, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 96 | 94 | 190
2 MTM Knock Out, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 92 | 91 | 183
3 Check Please, Keri Kampsen, Beth Congel: 93 | 87 | 180
4 Quassini, Daniel Geinter, Margaret Russell: 89 | 89.5 | 178.5
5 MTM Nutmeg, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm: 84 | 90 | 174
6 MTM Figurative, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 85 | 89 | 174
7 MTM Exceptional, Dorothy Douglas, Abigail Davenport: 85.5 | 86 | 171.5
8 Sapphira Z, Jordan Lubow, Kim Hall: 84 | 81 | 165
9 Carsten S, Jennifer Tate, Barbara Kravetz: 83 | 78 | 161
10 FPF Idefix, Lauren Patterson, Lauren Patterson: 86 | 72 | 158
Kalli Core and Karakter Capture the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Win
Thirty-two talented junior and amateur athletes competed in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but it was Kalli Core who triumphed with two consistent scores riding Donna Rosman’s Karakter (Kannan x Clarissa 121).
Core and the eight-year-old KWPN gelding delivered a beautiful first round, earning a score of 90. “I’ve been riding Karakter for seven months. When we got him, he had just started doing the hunter classes. He’s really stepped into this new role well and has been such a good boy with the best attitude about everything,” Core shared.
Heading into the handy round, Core aimed for smoothness. “I watched the Open Derby earlier in the morning and watched what those riders did. I also watched the riders before me and decided to play it a little safer while staying tidy in the turns,” she explained.
With another impressive score of 90, the pair achieved a winning overall total of 180. Looking ahead, Core is excited about the promising future of the talented young gelding. “He will continue to compete in a few more of these derbies and eventually move up to the 3’6” classes. He has amazing and supportive owners, so we’ll keep progressing, and maybe along the way, someone else might scoop him up.”
$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 Karakter, Kalli Core, Donna Rosman: 90 | 90 | 180
2 Hideaway, Cece Williamson, Cece Williamson: 88.5 | 89 | 177.5
3 Sergant Drew Wu Jof, Mary McGee, Mary McGee: 89 | 86 | 175
4 Easy B, Gabriella Rivera, Gillian Galvin: 87 | 84 | 171
5 Coltrane, Erica Prockow, Avery Lambert: 83 | 81 | 164
6 Chummy, Vivian Heyer, Dennis Mitchell: 76 | 82 | 158
7 Confidant, Sofia Hall, Sofia Hall: 80 | 78 | 158
8 RND Larrico, Erica Prockow, Donald Stewart: 82 | 74 | 156
9 Best Of Me, Ashley Wallace, Ashley Wallace: 83.5 | 71 | 154.5
10 Arius, Victoria Herran, Victisa LLC: 76 | 75 | 151
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.
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