The $15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open welcomed 28 entries as they vied for the win in Hunter 1 this morning. Competition was tough with scores ranging into the low 90s, but it was Dorrie Douglas and MTM Farm’s MTM Dashing (Cascadello II x Jubilate) that nabbed the win.
Dorrie Douglas and MTM Farm’s MTM Dashing (Cascadello II x Jubilate) contested the course early in the order. Douglas and the 7-year-old Holsteiner gelding earned 3rd place in Week 3’s $15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open and returned this morning on the hunt for blue. The duo flowed effortlessly through the first round, choosing to take 3 high options and earning a score of 83. Douglas and the stylish gelding returned for the handy round, navigating a second impressive round, taking 3 high options and opting for a tidy inside turn to fence 7. They were rewarded for their efforts with a score of 91, bringing their total score to 174 to ultimately win the class.
David Jennings and Libby Hott’s Due North (Diacontinus x Picard) were hot on Douglas and MTM Dashing’s trail. Jennings and the 6-year-old Hanoverian gelding took top placings in the USHJA Hunter 3′ at the Florida Horse Park in early January, preparing them well for this morning’s class. The pair were rhythmic in the first round, taking four high options and finding each fence in stride for a score of 84. They returned late in the order in the handy round, again choosing all four high options and taking a handy inside turn to fence 8 for a score of 89, totaling 173 for second place.
Belynda Bond and Gesture, LLC’s Norderney were just behind Jennings and Due North. Bond and the 16-year-old Hanoverian mare have earned several ribbons in hunter derbies at World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio, and are no strangers to the winner’s circle. The pair were consistent in the first round, taking two high options and earning a score of 88. They returned last in the handy round, taking the inside track to fence 8 along with one high option for a score of 84, bringing their overall score to 172 for 3rd place.
Douglas took a moment to chat with us after the class about her ride aboard MTM Dashing, “He’s a coming 7-year-old, now. The goal was to be smooth and do all of the right numbers. In the handy I watched Tracy go and she did the inside turn to the second to last fence, so I knew that I could do that. I was just hoping to give him some good miles.”
When asked about MTM Dashing, Douglas replied, “We bought him as a 4-year-old and I did him in the Pre Greens last year. With all of the nice classes offered at WEC, I’ve been gearing him toward doing the 3′ derbies. It seems to be working out!”
Douglas also added, “I think it’s pretty cool that WEC switched up the rings this week. From a standpoint of bringing young horses along, it’s cool that we get to jump such nice jumps in different rings and give the horses good experience.”
$15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open Results
- MTM Dashing, Dorrie Douglas – 83 | 91 | 174
- Due North, David Jennings – 84 | 89 | 173
- Norderney, Belynda Bond – 88 | 84 | 172
- Hula Hoop, Jeannie Savegnago – 85 | 86 | 171
- Denmark, Morgan Ward – 87 | 83 | 170
- Vulcan, Lauren Underhill – 78 | 82 | 160
- Even Steven, David Jennings – 73 | 84 | 157
- Bentley Mail, Sonya Crampton – 75 | 80 | 155
- Quidi, Kostadin Kalanov – 76 | 78 | 154
- MTM Animated, Tracy Fenney – 74.5 | 71 | 145.5
