The Ocala Winter Classic, the fourth week of the 2025 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, brought an added level of prestige to HITS Post Time Farm with a World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation. Featuring an action-packed schedule of elite hunter classes, the week attracted top riders from across the country vying for national recognition. Among the numerous highlights was the $40,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Great American Insurance Group, on Friday, February 7, where professional rider Kate Conover and her partner, Simba de Vinck, delivered a masterful performance to claim victory with a combined score of 391.
With valuable WCHR points and winning honors on the line, the competition was fierce as 34 talented horse-and-rider combinations navigated the intricately designed course by Tim Hott, Brian Post, and Doug Russell. Overseen by esteemed judges Robin Swinderman Mitchell, representing the first panel, and William Sparks, for the second panel, the class began with a flowing classic round that highlighted style and technique. From the first round, the top 12 duos then returned in reverse order of merit to contest the handy round designed to reward boldness and precision. Riders of all levels — from juniors and amateurs to seasoned professionals — brought their A-game, making for an exciting showdown.
Conover and Simba de Vinck entered the handy round in pole position after earning a stellar first-round score of 179, including a 92 from the first panel and an 88 from the second, plus four bonus points from each panel for high option fences jumped throughout the course. The pair then sealed the deal with an impeccable handy round, earning two base scores of 94, plus another four points for high options, and an additional seven bonus points for handiness — solidifying their spot at the top of the leaderboard.
“I’ve been blessed to ride a lot of really good horses in my life, and I’ve worked hard for them,” said Conover, who won the $25,000 WCHR Professional Finals at the 2023 Capital Challenge Horse Show. “The hard work pays off when you get opportunities like these, because the feeling ‘Simba’ gives you is not normal. It’s unbelievable — the power he has. He’s so slow and high in the air at the same time.”
Conover recently took over the ride on Simba after he was imported from Europe in November 2024. His owner and Conover’s longtime friend, Evan Coluccio, had previously campaigned the talented chestnut in the young jumpers in Belgium before bringing him stateside. Now competing in just his third show as a hunter and his very first derby, Simba is already making a big impression.
“We always toyed with the idea that maybe Simba would enjoy playing hunter a bit, and once we gave it a try, he turned out to be pretty amazing at it,” shared Conover of Hidden Ridge’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Untouchable x Echo Van Het Neerenbosch). “The course was well-designed, offering inside turns that were available to everyone without being too extreme, but Simba has so much power and scope that I felt confident taking all the inside turns. I took a big gallop to the last jump, and he just flew. It was so much fun to be back in this ring.”
For Conover, the win was particularly special, having spent her formative years showing at HITS Ocala. Now returning as a highly accomplished professional, her tour over the derby track marked her first time competing in the newly renovated Main Hunter Ring, and her first international derby win.
“I have a real soft spot for this property; I feel like I grew up here,” she enthused. “I know my way around all the trees in that ring, and I love the gallop you can have. It’s one of my favorite things, just being able to let the horse loose.”
Dorothy Douglas piloted MTM Lolah LOL, Abigail Davenport’s 12-year-old Westphalian mare by Los Angeles, to a close second-place finish with a total score of 373. Brian Feigus and Four Aces, Marita Zuraitis’s 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Acodetto 2 x Leonid), rounded out the podium with a two-round total of 372.5.
WCHR action continues through Sunday, February 9, and returns for the penultimate week of the circuit, the Ocala Winter Celebration, on March 11-16. The fifth week of the 2025 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, the Ocala Winter Festival, gets underway on Wednesday, February 12, setting the stage for another thrilling week of top-caliber competition.
