Waterfall equestrian Ela Vita Kastelic shines at South Africa Junior Toyota Derby 2026
Ela Vita Kastelic had never jumped a junior derby before, but on Saturday, this Waterfall girl finished second in South Africa.
Waterfall equestrian Ela Vita Kastelic (16) finished second at the South Africa Junior Toyota Derby 2026 on her debut on October 3.
Riding Callaho Valencia at Kyalami Equestrian Park, Ela stood on the national podium after competing in the 1.20m event. The achievement followed 12 months of training, sacrifice and balancing school commitments.
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For Ela, the result proved that dedication pays off, giving Midrand a national podium to celebrate.
“To be honest, today’s results are a massive achievement, because I was a little nervous before the derby,” Ela said.
“I remembered all the hard work I did for this day, and that motivated me a lot. My horse is another reason for me to shine on the big stage.”
Ela said she improved her hand stability, upper body posture during jump-offs, and overall speed ahead of her derby debut. She said she and her team are now focusing on the President’s Cup, which she believes they can win.
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Her father, Dejan, outlined what horse riding has taught his daughter outside the classroom.
“Dedication, discipline, hard work, resilience, competitiveness, teamwork and, above all, how to work towards a dream.
It taught her that success doesn’t happen overnight; it comes from showing up day after day, putting in the hours, learning from mistakes and continuing to work hard even when the results don’t come immediately,” he said.
He added that watching her enter the arena, manage her horse and navigate the track fills him with immense pride.
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