Edited Press Release
The $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Hunter Derby saw 31 stunning hunters take to Tom Hearn’s elaborate track, but it was Timothy Maddrix and Hudson Meadows Racing’s The Irish (Saint CYR x Greta Garbo) that captured the class’s highest overall score.
“Irish came to us about a month ago. He is owned by Heather Larson and he’s going to be for her daughter eventually, but he just came to us for a bit of training,” Maddrix explained. “He’s going to be great for her once she’s ready. We did the first years this week, which is a huge step up for him. He ended up champion.”
Maddrix and the 8-year-old Trakehner gelding floated into the ring, navigating a lovely first round, taking all three high options to earn a score of 87.
“He jumped great the first round,” Maddrix said. “The course was nice and flowing. It’s hard to make a really nice derby course in a regular hunter ring, but the course designer today was great. I loved the wall jumps and the hay bale combination.”
Maddrix made a last-second decision when he returned for the handy with The Irish, explaining, “I had a few points to make up. There was an option in the handy that no one else had done yet, which was to take the sharp turn to the diagonal hay bale fence. I was thinking that I had to do something to beat Dorrie [Douglas]. We were all talking about it in the schooling arena. I wasn’t going to do it but then I jumped the trot fence, and it was right there off my eye, so I gave it a go and Irish was perfect. He is as handy as can be.”
Maddrix and The Irish produced a foot-by-foot perfect handy round easily completing the difficult turn to the hay bale fence to earn the class’s highest handy score of 93, for a two-round total of 180 for the win.
Second place finishers, Dorothy Douglas and Abigail Davenport’s MTM Exceptional (Casall Ask x Rheinsberg) were just behind the winning pair. Douglas and the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding have had quite the success at World Equestrian Center – Ocala earning multiple top three finishes during the 2021 Summer Series. The pair returned to Hunter 1 to continue their success. Douglas and MTM Exceptional generated a beautiful first round, not touching a single rail to earn the judge’s highest first round score of 91. Douglas and MTM Exceptional were the last pair to return for the handy, producing the same difficult inside turn that Maddrix and The Irish completed, to earn a handy score of 86, for a two round total of 177.
Camryn Halley & Now and Zen Top the $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby
Nineteen gorgeous entries contested the winding track in the $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, but it was Camryn Halley and her own Now and Zen (Cabalito x Special Consideration) that earned the top spot.
Halley and the 7-year-old gorgeous dapple gray gelding navigated a smooth first round jumping all three high options with ease to earn a first-round score of 84.
“Now and Zen is still pretty new to me. We got him in the beginning of the summer,” Halley said. “He is such a good boy and really wants to win. I’ve had so much fun showing him.”
Halley had a plan for the handy, explaining, “I wanted to be as slick as possible for the handy. I wanted to get my canter as early as possible so I could get a nice distance to the first oxer so it could set me up for the trot jump. I think the first three jumps were the trickiest and then after that I found that the rest flowed seamlessly. I really liked the hay bale option fence, I personally ride better off of a short turn so that came up super nicely for me. He was fantastic overall and I am so proud of him.”
Halley and Now and Zen performed a beautiful handy round, taking each inside turn with ease while walking down the lines to receive the class’s highest handy score of 87 for an overall score of 166.
Second place was earned by Addison McQuaker of Schomberg, Ontario and her own Golden Ticket (Stakkato Gold x Cindy Crawford). McQuaker and the 7-year-old Oldenburg gelding produced a beautiful first round, jumping all three high options to earn the class’s second highest score of 87. The pair returned for the handy, rolling around the turns while jumping all three high options to secure of score of 79 for a two-round total of 166.
Nicole Lyvere and her own Vaillero (Vaillant x Highlight Z) rounded out the top three in the $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Lyvere and the 14-year-old Zangersheide gelding had a lovely first round, jumping all three high options in perfect form to secure a score of 83. The pair returned for the handy delivering a smooth round while completing two high options for a score of 80, to earn a total of 163, for third.
Before the start of the handy round in the $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Open Derby, the prestigious Style of Riding Award was presented to Hillary Johnson for her classic style and her sportsmanship. The Style of Riding Award is generously presented by Bill Rube to be awarded to the rider who best displays the American Style of riding in the ring and sportsmanship outside of the competition arena. The recipient serves as a role model for preserving the integrity and tradition of equestrian sport.
“This award is very special to me because the recipient of this award pays it forward both in and out of the show ring,” says Rube. Johnson received an elegant duffel bag and wore a white rose corsage on her lapel throughout the handy round to signify her achievement.
$15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1.Now and Zen, Camryn Halley, Camryn Halley: 84 | 87 | 171
2. Golden Ticket, Addison McQuaker, Addison McQuaker: 87 | 79 | 166
3. Vaillero, Nicole Lyvere, Nicole Lyvere: 83 | 80 | 163
4. Quetzal De Razel, Paige Nyren, Paige Nyren: 77 | 81 | 158
5. Ronaldo, Piper Harris, Piper Harris: 70 | 83 | 153
6. Gotye, Kate Mills, Lisa Carlsen: 74 | 76 | 150
7. HM Beaulieu, Georgia Rivero, Kristine D’Andrea: 79 | 66 | 145
8. Holy Hill, Tameron Petersen, Flying Hill Farm: 65 | 76 | 141
9. Diacara, Ashley Wilson, Ashley Wilson: 71 | 65 | 136
10. Classico, Jessica Miller, Jessica Miller: 71 | 63 | 134
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
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