Ocala, FL – The first Hunter Derby Friday of the 2024 November Show Series took over the WEC Stadium at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, drawing hunter riders to compete for top honors 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. Course designer Dean Rheinheimer set natural tracks that allowed athletes to showcase their horses’ style and rideability.
In the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, Stephanie Frey captured her first WEC – Ocala Hunter Derby win aboard Leslie Kramer’s Storyville (Diarado x Any Chip). Frey and the nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding impressed the judges in the first round, taking all four high options for a score of 91.
Reflecting on Storyville, Frey shared, “He’s a sales horse I got in June. He has shown up to the 3’6” Greens and started doing some 3’ derbies about a year and a half ago, but this is only his third or fourth big derby.”
Returning for the handy round on top, Frey aimed to “let him rip. I really just wanted to go out there and let him have fun. I did an inside turn to the trot jump and the double.”
The pair delivered a smooth, confident handy round, earning another score of 91 for a winning two-round total of 182. Frey sees a promising future for Storyville, adding, “I think he’ll be an excellent junior/amateur hunter and be able to show them the ropes in the derbies. He’s also a total ham in the barn—like a puppy dog in your lap.”
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Megan Wexler and Cupido ZG Z Land the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Win
Friday morning saw top hunter professionals compete in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, with Megan Wexler emerging as the winner aboard Catherine Merrill’s Cupido ZG Z (Casallo Z x Voendola B).
Wexler and the six-year-old Warmblood gelding earned an impressive first-round score of 92, positioning them for success in the handy round.
Reflecting on their first round, Wexler shared, “He loves that ring. Today, he felt like I never had to change rhythm; he was so relaxed, and every stride was smooth. I didn’t have to touch the reins – he just hunted all the way around the ring.”
Approaching the handy round with confidence, Wexler decided to push for inside turns. “I wanted to give him a good ride for a young horse, but still challenge ourselves. At home, we practice inside turns a lot, so I felt like today he was up to the challenge.”
Wexler has been guiding Cupido ZG Z’s development since he was four. “We imported him as a four-year-old. Catherine Merrill loves bringing up young horses, and I’ve been fortunate to ride her horses for many years now. It’s wonderful to have an owner who supports you and lets you develop really special horses.”
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Hayley Waters Wear Claims First and Second in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Hayley Waters Wear made a strong return to World Equestrian Center – Ocala, picking up right where she left off. The skilled amateur athlete dominated Friday’s $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, taking first place with Malcomme and second with Genuine.
In the first round, Waters Wear earned the top score of the day with an impressive 94 aboard Dana Waters’ Malcomme, a seven-year-old KWPN gelding by Comme Il Faut x Daytoria. She also guided Genuine (Diarado x Kampari W), owned by Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Waters, to a stellar round, earning a score of 88.
For the handy round, Waters Wear took a careful approach. “I was a little conservative today because I was coming back first and second. Genuine was still leading when I returned on Malcomme, so I decided to play it safe and opted for the round route to fence two,” she explained.
Her strategy paid off, as she secured the win on Malcomme with a handy score of 87, totaling 181 over two rounds. Genuine claimed second with a 91 in the handy, for a total of 179.
“I love showing in the Stadium with my hunters and then competing under the lights with my jumper on Saturday night,” Waters Wear shared. “The rings here always look so beautiful, and it’s an amazing place to develop horses.”
$10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results
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
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes! Plan your stay at World Equestrian Center – Ocala