Jenni McAllister and Shalako Score Victory in the $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby

03 JUL 26 Ocala, FL

A rider on a brown horse jumps over a white fence during an equestrian competition in an arena with purple seats and spectators in the background.

Ocala, FL – Hunter Derby Friday brought top competition to Indoor Arena 1 during USEF National Hunter competition, showcasing the $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby and the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Course designer Scott Adler challenged competitors with tracks that emphasized adjustability and accuracy. 

Jenni McAllister guided Sharon Schenck’s 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Shalako (Borsalino x Fokoschima) to top honors in the $7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6″-3’9″ Hunter Derby after two polished performances.

A rider on a dark brown horse jumps over a decorated obstacle during an indoor equestrian event.
Jenni McAllister and Shalako. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

McAllister has partnered with the gelding for the past three years and has enjoyed watching him continue to develop into a dependable derby mount. “I’ve been riding him for about three years now,” McAllister shared. “He’s always been a super sweet horse. Kylie Jo helps too, and we both ride him occasionally. I was actually hurt all winter, so she rode him all winter for me. His owner is just a super supportive, wonderful lady who loves him and lets us do what we need to do with him. He’s just come along every year and gotten better and better.”

McAllister was pleased with Shalako’s effort in the classic round, earning an 86, as the pair had not competed indoors in some time. “I thought he was really good,” she said. “It’s been a little while since he’s been inside, so he was a little more suspicious than he’s been in the past. He was a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re inside.’ But once he settled in, he was great. By the handy round, he was relaxed and gave me a really good trip.”

A rider on a horse poses indoors with two people; one person holds a large check and the other holds a trophy bag. Decorative flowers are in the background.
Jenni McAllister and Shalako. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Returning for the handy round, McAllister kept her plan simple and allowed Shalako’s strengths to shine. “I think I kind of did the same as everybody else,” she explained. “There were one or two options, and he’s able to jump all of the high options, which is great because it makes my job a little easier and helps pick up a few extra points. He’s actually quite good in the handy. He follows the track really well, and honestly, I think he’s almost a little better in the handy. In the first round he has a lot of time to think, but in the handy he just follows me and goes, ‘Okay, we go here, we go here.’ He’s great at that.”

A handy score of 88 boosted their overall total to 174 and secured the victory.

$7,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results 

Kimberly Maloomian & Lost Boy Are Victorious in the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby 

An equestrian rider and horse jump over an obstacle in an indoor arena with purple seats and floral decorations.
Kimberly Maloomian and Lost Boy. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Kimberly Maloomian delivered a standout performance in the $5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby on Friday morning during Summer Series IV, piloting Lost Boy (Bailiamos Biolley x Finesse) to victory in Indoor Arena 1.

Maloomian and Terry Maloomian’s nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding set the pace early, earning the highest first-round score of an 88.

Equestrian rider on a dark horse jumps over an obstacle in an indoor arena decorated with flowers and greenery.
Kimberly Maloomian and Lost Boy. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The pair has been together for just over a year, and Maloomian reflected on the journey they have taken to reach this point. “He’s nine years old, and I got him about this time last year,” she shared. “He’s a really good horse. He came to me, and I had to spend about six months going kind of slow with him. He’s really taken to doing the 3′ and 3’6′ divisions. You feel like any distance is possible with a canter like that. It’s just so scopey.”

A person in equestrian attire sits on a horse while another person stands in front holding a large check; flowers and a digital scoreboard are in the background.
Kimberly Maloomian and Lost Boy. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Holding a commanding lead heading into the handy round, Maloomian opted for a more conservative approach rather than taking unnecessary risks. “I wanted to be a little careful in the handy, to be honest, because I felt like I was so far ahead,” she said. “You either go crazy and do something tragic, or you hope it really works out. I personally didn’t feel like there was a place between one and two where I could be super handy, so I might have lost a few points there by going around. Otherwise, I tried to do the inside turns where they showed themselves.”

A second-round score of 85 secured the pair a winning two-round total of 173, finishing 6.5 points ahead of second place.

$5,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results 

Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z Best the Field in the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby 

A rider on a gray horse jumps over an obstacle in an arena with purple seats and a few spectators in the background.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Twenty junior and amateur competitors vied for top honors in the $5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but it was Emma Brody who captured the blue ribbon and the Style of Riding Award presented by ACE Equestrian aboard Brody Sporthorses’ nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Corzico Melloni Z (Cornet Obolensky x Zicora H).

Known around the barn as “Melon,” the talented gelding has become a consistent partner for Brody over the past few years. “This is Melon. I’ve had him for about two and a half years now. He was my equitation horse in the beginning, but he kind of started doing derbies, and it really became his niche. He’s done a lot of international derbies all over the circuit, and then I get to take the reins over sometimes, which is really amazing. He comes out every day exactly the same.”

A rider on a white horse jumps over an obstacle in an indoor arena, with a large scoreboard in the background displaying competition information.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Returning for the handy round in the lead, Brody focused on a simple approach to secure the win. “My plan for the handy was really just to be smooth. There weren’t any crazy inside turns to do. I took every option that we had planned, but the goal was just to stay smooth and keep everything together.”

The pair earned a handy score of 90 to finish on a two-round total of 178, securing the victory by an impressive 13-point margin.

Four people and a horse pose indoors; one person is holding a large check, another sits on the horse, and banners and flowers decorate the arena.
Emma Brody and Corzico Melloni Z accepting their first-place award and the Style of Riding Award presented by Annie Connolly of ACE Equestrian. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

The win came during Brody’s first summer at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. “I’ve never been here over the summer before, but it’s been great. There’s so much room to ride around and you can really do anything you need to do. Being able to stay cool inside is amazing.”

$5,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Result

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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