Ocala, FL – The WEC Stadium played host to Hunter Derby Friday once again during the 2025 Summer Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Dean Rheinheimer built the natural flowing tracks for three competitive 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.
Victoria Colvin made a strong return to World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC), opening the Summer Series with top scores in the $12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby. She took top honors aboard Dicoblue PS (Diarado’s Boy x Stutbuch 1 Chactine), owned by Isabelle Castellanos, and also claimed second place with Southern Night, owned by SG Equestrian LLC.
Colvin earned the highest scores of the circuit so far aboard Dicoblue PS, starting with an impressive first round score of 96, seven points ahead of the competition heading into the handy round. Aboard Southern Night, an eight-year-old KWPN gelding, she also delivered a strong performance, earning a first-round score of 87.
Heading into the handy, Colvin had a clear strategy for each of her rides. “Dicoblue PS is more experienced than Southern Night, so on Dicoblue PS, I planned on taking all of the inside turns,” she explained. “He’s very handy, so the plan was to focus on the inside turns and practice preparing for Derby Finals with both.”
Returning first aboard Southern Night, Colvin impressed the judges with her mount’s smooth turns and elegant style, earning a handy score of 93 for an overall total of 180. Even with the win already secured, Colvin returned aboard the 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding Dicoblue PS and executed all of the inside turns, earning a standout score of 97 for a two-round total of 193.
Colvin is using WEC – Ocala as a key part of her preparation for the upcoming USHJA Hunter Derby Finals in Lexington, Kentucky. “I really love it here. It’s so close to home. I love the big ring and I’m happy they had the derby outside today,” she shared. “The ring is beautiful and comparable to the Rolex Stadium in Kentucky, so it’s perfect preparation for the horses. Also, it’s a huge plus to be able to go inside and flat in the air-conditioning, you don’t get that anywhere else.”
$12,500 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results
Brady Mitchell Sweeps the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby
Nineteen horse-and-rider combinations gathered at the WEC Stadium early Friday morning to compete for top honors in the $10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby. It was Brady Mitchell who rose to the occasion, claiming a one-two finish by taking the win aboard Almaretto (Arezzo VDL x Phirania) and securing second place with Samba, both owned by the Rein Family LLC.
Mitchell’s first-place horse, Almaretto is a brand-new partner for him. “He was just imported from Europe, so he’s only been in the country for about three weeks,” shared Mitchell. “He showed last week and went right around; we just needed to smooth it out a bit. This week, it really clicked. I’m thrilled—he feels like a horse I can truly rely on.”
The pair earned a smooth first-round score of 91, placing them second on the leaderboard.
Returning for the handy, Mitchell took full advantage of the spacious track. “It was a nice, friendly start. The first fence was a little away from the gate, so you had to canter up to it. The course itself was just beautiful, we came here to gain experience, and there’s truly no better place to do that.”
Mitchell and the seven-year-old Oldenburg gelding earned the highest second-round score of 92, for a total score of 183.
Mitchell also claimed the red ribbon aboard Samba, with a first-round score of 91 and a handy round score of 92 for a total of 181, finishing just shy of the lead.“He’s a very special horse. We’re getting him ready for the Green Incentive Finals in Kentucky, and he’s been delivering one solid round after another. I’m really proud of him.”
$10,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results
Lily Toensing Rises to the Top with Consanto in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
A field of 18 junior and amateur riders gathered at the WEC Stadium to compete for the blue ribbon in the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Rising to the top of the leaderboard was Lily Toensing aboard her own Consanto, a 17-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Collado x Camillo Queen.
Heading into the classic round, Toensing trusted her longtime partner to step up to the challenge. “We’ve been together for about 10 years now. He started as my equitation horse, and then we moved into the derbies. He’s just the best, he’s really good at keeping a consistent pace, and he handles the turns so well.”
A strong classic score of 91 put them on top of the leaderboard.
Returning for the handy round, Toensing’s goal was to keep things smooth and steady. “I really liked the handy. It was cool how they incorporated the S-turn with the verticals. I wanted to keep things tidy, but be a little more conservative than I normally would be. I made sure to be super clean coming off the fences.”
The duo earned a smooth second-round score of 90, finishing with a total score of 181.
$10,000 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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