Edited Press Release
A picturesque sunny Florida day set the stage for the third Hunter Derby Friday of the 2023 Winter Spectacular Show Series. Nearly 100 magnificent horse-and-rider combinations set out to challenge the elegant tracks built by Tucker Williams (USA) in the $20,000 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3’ Open Hunter Derby and $15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby.
In the $20,000 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, Daniel Geitner of Aiken, South Carolina and Laura Cramer’s Easy Money (Fairbanks x Stutbuch) emerging victorious.
Geitner and the gorgeous 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding laid down a brilliant first round to secure a score of 82 from the judges.
“’Easy’ is an incredible horse. His owner Laura Cramer sends him to me in the winter and we usually keep him through the spring, then he will go back home to Upperville, Virginia with her in the summer. This is our second winter together, and he is a really fun horse to ride,” shared Geitner.
“He is enormous, with big scope and a huge step. He was second last week out in the Stadium. It’s pretty neat for a horse as tall and big as he is to go from the giant ring last week to come into a normal sized ring this week, and still be so rideable and handy. He’s kind of like a jumper, the more you power him up, the better he jumps.”
Geitner piloted three horses in the handy. He made a splash aboard Magnolia Lane Stables, LLC’s Coltrane earning a two-round total of 171 to also earn the third-place ribbon.
“I did a very tight inside turn from two to three on Coltrane, but it was very snug. I also did the inside turn after the trot fence back to the high option oxer, which was extremely tidy,” Geitner detailed. “I decided to focus on being smooth and make medium turns with Easy Money and not go too crazy. A few other riders had some mistakes here and there, so I decided to just put in another solid round.”
Geitner and Easy Money floated around the handy track, jumping all four high options is stellar form to find a high score of 90 for a two-round total of 172. Geitner was also awarded the prestigious ‘Style of Riding’ award presented by Bill Rube.
Amanda Steege earned the win in the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3’ Open Hunter Derby aboard Felicity Farms, LLC’s Balou Velvet with a pair of stellar rounds. Steege and the 14-year-old Warmblood mare by Balougran Z found a seamless first round track for a score of 86.5. The pair pulled out all the stops for the handy, earning a 91 for an overall score of 177.5 for the win.
“It was a very fun handy. The course gave you the option of whether you wanted to really show off, or just stay out,” Steege explained. “Balou Velvet was really up for the challenge; I don’t know if I have ever ridden a horse as handy as her. You just look where you want to go and she’s already there.”
In the $15,000 WEC Ocala ‘ Jr/Am Hunter Derby, it was Lily Toensing of Reddick, Florida that captured the victory aboard her own Consanto (Collado x Camillo Queen).
Toensing and the seasoned 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding found a lovely rhythm in the first round to earn the second highest score of a 90. The pair rolled around the handy track, jumping all four high options with ease to earn a score of 89 from the judges for a two-round total of 179 for the blue ribbon.
“[Consanto] was incredible today. He felt super in the warmup and even better on course,” Toensing said. “We had a pretty straightforward plan for the first round. We decided to go with the bold numbers in the lines. We did the eight and then the nine. With the more open stride, we set the tone for the rest of the course. He was super and attentive the entire time.”
Toensing and Consanto were the second-to-last pair to attempt the handy track.
“We did the bold number up the first line in the handy, we were a little between what to do, but after we saw a few others stay more direct, we stuck to it. We finished off the track strong with a nice roll back to the final fence. The goal was to go for the gold, and it ended up working out,” laughed Toensing.
$20,000 Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby Results:
1 Easy Money, Daniel Geitner, Laura Cramer: 82 | 90 | 172
2 Candid Traveler, Timothy Maddrix, Michelle Guardino-Dettelbach: 92 | 79.5 | 171.5
3 Coltrane, Daniel Geitner, Magnolia Lane Stables, LLC: 88 | 83 | 171
4 Just Apple, Amanda Steege, Margot Peroni: 85 | 80 | 165
5 Light My Fire MD, Harold Chopping, Alexis Niepert: 78.75 | 78 | 156.75
6 Golden Ticket, Addison McQuaker, Addison McQuaker: 78 | 77 | 155
7 Lord Don, Triston Smith, Triston Smith: 79 | 75 | 154
8 Troubador, William Dow, Suzanne Deuel: 89 | 49.5 | 138.5
9 Miyamoto Mushashi, Timothy Maddrix, Lynne Skaryak: 79.5 | 55 | 134.5
10 First Lady HDG, Harrison Ford, Reese Williams: 78.5 | 53 | 131.5
$15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital 3’ Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Balou Velvet, Amanda Steege, Felicity Farms, LLC: 86.5 | 91 | 177.5
2 Cataumet, Lauren Schweppe, Cynthia Bourdreau: 81.5 | 92.5 | 174
3 Tangelina, Amanda Steege, Cara Garito: 84.5 | 89 | 173.5
4 Carsten S, Jennifer Tate, Barbara Kravetz: 85 | 87 | 172
5 Blue Monday, Hillary Johnson, Stephanie Battershall: 84 | 86.5 | 170.5
6 Suede, Hillary Johnson, Copper Fox, LLC: 87 | 81 | 168
7 Small Social, Jessica Vinther, Ava Peck: 81.75 | 86 | 167.75
8 Calipso, Jake Evans, Johnnie Martin-Carey: 83 | 84 | 167
9 In Touch, Jesse Dow, Suzanne Deuel: 82 | 76 | 158
10 Shameless, Josh Dolan, Kim Domenicone: 81 | 70 | 151
$15,000 WEC Ocala 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby Results:
1 Consanto, Lily Toensing, Lily Toensing: 90 | 89 | 179
2 No Secret, Isabelle Ehman, Donald Stewart: 91 | 87.5 | 178.5
3 Fitz, Isabel Harbour, IMH Equine, LLC: 87.5 | 90 | 177.5
4 Impression, Ava Hartman, Ava Hartman: 89 | 88 | 177
5 Condor, Isabel Harbour, Robin Felton: 87 | 85 | 172
6 MTM Crossed My Mind, Logan Jacobson, Logan Jacobson: 84 | 87 | 171
7 C-Star, Mary Beth McGee, Mary Beth McGee: 82.5 | 84 | 166.5
8 Icadello, Samantha Karp, Samantha Karp: 85 | 81 | 166
9 Summer Song, Hampton Baker, Hampton Baker: 81 | 83 | 164
10 Make Way, Camryn Halley, Camryn Halley: 82 | 80 | 162
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