HITS Coachella Hunters Shine Bright During Week II :: HITS

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HITS Coachella Hunters Shine Bright During Week II


Thermal, CA (February 1, 2017): Hunter exhibitors from across the West Coast, and a few that traveled from the East, turned out for the Desert Circuit’s second qualifying opportunities for the Diamond Mills Hunter Final and the Platinum Performance Hunter Final at the HITS Championship in September. Riders returned with their fanciest mounts to prove who had the ultimate in style and finesse.   

$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
John French of Paso Robles, California, returned and once again conquered the field in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Desert Horse Park. This time, the win came aboard Soldier, owned by Meadow Farms, LLC.

In Week I, French won first and third place in the Devoucoux Hunter Prix, battling it out with co-pro Hope Flynn of Petaluma, California. During Week II, French once again had to duel with Glynn, who came close behind him in second place with Lake of Stars, owned by Sabrina Hellman.

French and Soldier garnered scores of 88 and 88 for a winning total of 176. Glynn was not far from their winning total with Lake of Stars, claiming scores of 86 in the first round and 87 in the second round for a total of 173.

Third in the ribbons belonged to Puissance R, owned by Lisa Hankin and ridden by Jenny Karazissis of Calabasas, California. Karazissis piloted Puissance R to 87 in the first round, combined with 84 in the second round for a total of 171.

Alexis Taylor Silvernale took home the two final spots in the top five, earning fourth place with Cayambe, owned by Camile Leblond, with an overall score of 169.75 and fifth place with Gatsby, owned by Aleron, LLC, with a two-round total of 168.5.
 
Place  Horse Owner Rider Prize R.1 Score R.2 Score Total
1 Solider Meadow Farms, LLC John French $1,500  88 88 176
2 Lake of Stars Sabrina Hellman Hope Glynn $1,000 86 87 173
3 Puissance R Lisa Hankin Jenny Karazissis $700 87 84 171
4 Cayambe Camille Lablond Alexxis Taylor-Silvernale $500 84.75 85 169.75
5 Gatsby Aleron LLC Alexis Taylor-Silvernale $400 83.5 85 168.5
6 First Draft Joann Goldsman Adam Ottomanelli $325 85 83 168
7 Canturo T October Hill Hunters & Jumpers Hope Glynn $300 85.75 77 162.75
8 Papillon-K Gina Schwichtenberg Katie Ann Taylor $275 84 74 158
(C) ESI PHOTOGRAPHY
John French and Soldier  on their way to a $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix win. 
(C) ESI Photography 
John French and Soldier winning the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix. 
 
$1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix
Sachi Kawabata-Porto took home the victory with Vesper, owned by Leia Klingel, in the Week II $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix. They earned an 87 in the first round, followed by an 85 in the second round for the winning score of 172.

The second place honor went home with Sue Takata of Athens, Texas riding A Timely Affair, owned by Stonebridge Farm.  The received an 85 in the first round, combined with their second-round score of 86 for a total of 171, just one point behind Kawabata-Porto.

Avery Glynn of Petaluma, California, scored third amongst the field of her peers with Back in Business, owned by Mary Kate Moulton. They earned scores of 83.5 and 84.5, respectively, to level out a total of 168.

Eva Chiocchetti of Laguna Beach, California, took home fourth place with her own Samarkand with a total of 160. Rounding out the top five was Ishta Devata, owned and ridden by Makenna Thrasher of Bakersfield, California, with an overall score of 159.
 
Place  Horse Owner Rider Prize  R.1 Score R.2 Score Total
1 Vesper Leia Klingel Sachi Kawabata-Porto $450 87 85 172
2 A Timely Affair Stonebridge Farm Sue Takata $300 85 86 171
3 Back In Business Mary Kate Moulton Avery Glynn $200 83.5 84.5 168
4 Samarkand Eva Chiocchetti Eva Chiocchetti $150 77.5 82.5 160
5 Ishta Devata Makenna Thrasher Makenna Thrasher $125 79 80 159
6 Captivated Shayne Berridge Wireman Skylar Wireman $100 77 78 155
7 Luisant Q of E Farms, LLC Stella Buckingham $100 78.5 72 150.5
8 Best Chance MacKenzie Root Alicia Saxton $50 76.5 62 138.5
(C) ESI Photography 
Sachi Kawabata-Porto and Vesper on their way to a $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix win.  
(C) ESI Photography 
Sachi Kawabata-Porto and Vesper winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix win.  
 
About HITS, Inc.
HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the Village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York, Virginia, a new property coming to Chicago, Illinois in May 2017. 

While hosting the richest weekend in show jumping at HITS-on-the-Hudson, HITS also formed the Triple Crown of Show Jumping. This includes the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix  in Thermal, California, the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida and Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix FEI CSI-5* in Saugerties, New York.

For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com. Stay connected with HITS! Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Media should contact the HITS Media Team at 845.246.8833 or e-mail media_info@HitsShows.com.