Samantha Schaefer and Sutton Place Earn Top Honors in $75,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open

Samantha Schaefer and Sutton Place earn top honors in the $75,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

Samantha Schaefer topped the $75,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open aboard Madeline Schaefer’s Sutton Place (Valentino x Argrepina). The pair faced a field of 32 entries with scores soaring well into the 90s, making for tough competition.

Schaefer and the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding earned 2nd place in the $15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open during Week 3 of the World Equestrian Center – Ocala Winter Spectacular and brought their A-game again. The duo laid down a flawless first round, taking all four high options for a score of 91. They returned last in the handy round, taking tidy inside turns throughout the course. Schaefer and Sutton Place were rewarded with a score of 93.5 for their efforts, totaling 184.5 to win the class.

Samantha Schaefer and Sutton Place

Samantha Schaefer also found success aboard Ava Berman’s Emilio (Embassy I x Pirouette). Schaefer and the 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding topped the $15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open just two weeks ago, preparing them well for this morning’s class. The pair earned scores of 88 and 94, totaling 182 for 2nd place.

Rounding out the top three spots were Amanda Steege and Lisa Arena Davis’ Balou (Balou Du Rouet). Steege and the 17-year-old Westphalian gelding topped the $15,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open during Week 9, signaling they would be strong competitors in this morning’s derby. The pair earned scores of 90 and 91, totaling 181 for 3rd place.

$75,000 WEC Derby 3′ Open Results

  1. Sutton Place, Samantha Schaefer – 91 | 93.5 | 184.5
  2. Emilio, Samantha Schaefer – 88 | 94 | 182
  3. Balou, Amanda Steege – 90 | 91 | 181
  4. True Balou, Isaac Leffkowitz – 84 | 93 | 177
  5. Norderney, Belynda Bond – 86 | 89 | 175
  6. Abudabi, Jeff Gogul – 85 | 89.5 | 174.5
  7. MTM Animated, Tracy Fenney – 82 | 92 | 174
  8. Vulcan, Jeff Gogul – 87 | 84 | 171
  9. Sorrento, Hillary Johnson – 80 | 90 |170
  10. Rafferty, Jennifer Jones – 81 | 87 | 168