Nineteen entries gathered to the CaptiveOne Advisors Indoor Arena early Friday morning to compete for the top prize in the $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby but it was Megan Young and Lee D. Cesery’s Comanche that brought home the blue ribbon.

Young and the 13-year-old warmblood gelding performed a effortless first round, taking all three high options to collect a score of 89. Young has been riding Camanche for many years.

“We have had him since he was about six-years-old,” she said. “I competed him in the pre-greens and now he’s been to derby finals. He knows his job well and is a very handy horse.”

Young and Camanche came back for the handy course, taking each tidy inside turn.

“My plan was to be nice to one, slip and slide to two, then I counted eleven to the oxer so I could get inside to the double,” Young explained. “I needed a bit of pace in the double so I wouldn’t cut down on the back rail, but I rolled back to the trot fence where I needed to relax then I got to breathe to the last two.”

The pair finished the handy course, jumping all three high options to receive a handy score of 91.5 for a two-round total of 180.5.

Second place was captured by Dorothy Douglas and MTM Incanto. Douglas had great success last week, winning the $12,500 WEC Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby aboard MTM Exceptional and received second place in the $10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby aboard MTM Nabilli. Douglas also received fourth place on MTM Nabilli Friday.

Douglas and MTM Farm’s MTM Incanto (Cornet Obolensky x Zaza Di Villagana) jumped an impeccable first round, taking all three high options to earn a high score of 88. Douglas and the six-year-old warmblood gelding returned for the handy, flowing through the course finding perfect distances to receive a score of 86.5 for an overall score of 174.5.

Megan Young took home another third place aboard Lee D. Cesery’s Luminous. Young and the 10-year-old Westphalian gelding delivered two beautiful rounds, earning a first round score of 83 and a handy score of 91 for a two-round total of 174 to round out the top three.

$10,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby Results:

1. Comanche, Megan Young, Lee D. Cesery:  89 | 91.5 | 180.5
2. MTM Incanto, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm:  88 | 86.5 | 174.5
3. Luminous, Megan Young, Lee D. Cesery: 83 | 91 | 174
4. MTM Nabilli, Dorothy Douglas, MTM Farm:  86 | 87 | 173
5. Poolside, Brady Mitchell, Brady Mitchell: 82.5 | 88 | 170.25
6. MTM Raisin, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 82.25 | 88 | 170.250
7. After Dark, Nathalie Petschenig, Linda Viens: 84 | 86 | 170
8. MTM Plus One, Tracy Fenney, MTM Farm: 72 | 89 | 161
9. Piano Man, Jullian Ehrenzeller, Jullian Ehrenzeller: 82| 77 | 159
10. Hula Hoop, Jeannie M. Savegnago, Elizabeth Corey:  87 | 63 | 150

Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.