Evan Coluccio Introduces Another New Mount to the Winner’s Circle in the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby
The seventh Hunter Derby Friday of the 2026 Winter Spectacular Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) welcomed nearly 100 stunning hunters to Hunter 1 to compete in three exciting classes: the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby, the $15,000 UF Veterinary Hospital USHJA National 3’ Open Hunter Derby, and the $15,000 USHJA National 3’ Jr/Am Hunter Derby. Tucker Williams designed Friday’s courses, which featured long bending lines and several tidy options for the handy round.
The final event of Hunter Derby Friday concluded with the $20,000 Golden Ocala 3’6”-3’9” Hunter Derby. Twenty-five exceptional horse-and-rider combinations contested the course, and scores rang into the high 90’s. Ultimately, Evan Coluccio and his brand-new mount, Dorian Grey N (Dallas VDL x Ivy De La Vie), owned by Hidden Ridge, took top honors.
The nine-year-old Oldenberg gelding was just introduced to the hunter ring this past week, “I imported him in December to be my Grand Prix horse. He wants to be so slow and relaxed, so I got the idea on Tuesday to do him in a ticket in Hunter 1, and then he won a class in the 3’6” Performance Hunters yesterday.”
Dorian Grey N cantered around to a breathtaking first round to receive a score of 94. Coluccio noted, “The first round was more of a classic style round. There were lots of long bending lines. It was pretty straightforward, so I’d say that was more of a training round for him.”
During the handy, scores were coming in well into the 90’s, and even though the gelding is new to the hunter ring, Coluccio had no doubt in his new partner, “I was originally supposed to do him in the Future Prix this week so I had been practicing jump-off turns, so I knew that the inside turns were no question for him.”
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