Will Simpson and The Dude Win HITS Thermal $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix

Thermal, California (January 17, 2015): With no faults and a time of 42.815 seconds, Will Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, won the first Grand Prix of the season at the HITS Desert Circuit. One of only three riders to go clear, Simpson prevailed in the jump-off with a time almost three seconds faster than his nearest competitor, Susan Artes and Zamiro, owned by Alix Fargo.

With the win, Simpson, of Westlake Village, California, took home a cash prize of $7,500. Artes, of Burbank, California, placed second, with a clear round in a time of 45.222 seconds, while Eduardo Menezes, of Carlsbad, Brazil, and Clear Me, owned by Ilan Ferder, placed a close third with no faults in a time of 45.714, in the course designed by Florencio Hernandez, of Mexico City, Mexico.

Simpson was quick to give credit to The Dude for the win. “He is a horse we are really excited about, and a horse that seems to truly understand the sport,” said Simpson. He also praised SmartPak, the sponsor of the class and numerous Grand Prix throughout the HITS Thermal and HITS Ocala circuits. “A company very much into horses like they are,” said Simpson, “makes our horses safer and happier.”

The $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix is the first major showjumping event of the 2015 HITS Desert Circuit. The circuit will continue for eight weeks, from January 13 through March 15, with an off week in February. The next Grand Prix is the $50,000 Equine Couture/Tuffrider Grand Prix on Sunday, January 18. Throughout the entire series, held at the state-of-the-art HITS Desert Horse Park, hundreds of riders and horses will compete in dozens of classes for all levels of experience, with more than $3 million in prizes at stake.

© ESI Photography
Will Simpson and The Dude take first place in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix Friday, January 16.

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	Round 1 Faults	JO Faults	JO Time
1	The Dude	Monarch International	William Simpson	$7,500	0	0	42.815
2	Zamiro	Alix Fargo	Susan Artes	$5,500	0	0	45.222
3	Clear Me	Ilan Ferder	Eduardo Menezes	$3,250	0	0	45.714
4	Chakira	Isabelle Terry	Christian Heineking	$2,000	0	4	43.367
5	Zilox T	Haley Farms, LLC	Tiffany Sullivan	$1,500	0	4	45.101
6	Alfie Scappino BMW	Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Rivera Torres	Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Rivera Torres	$1,250	0	4	45.274
7	Calero	Neaulani Farms	Allyssa Hecht	$1,000	0	4	47.266
8	Glide	Kimberly Butts	Macella O'Neill	$750	0	4	47.568
9	Geledimar	Monarch International	Hannah Heidegger	$750	0	4	48.603
10	Granit S	John Anderson	John Anderson	$500	0	4	48.631
11	Conejito	Carol Wright	Carol Wright	$500	0	4	50.961
12	AJE Cluny	AJE Equitation	Christian Helneking	$500	1	*	*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About SmartPak
SmartPaks are custom made, pre-measured daily dose Paks of your horse's supplements. They are clearly labeled with your horse's name for fast, accurate feeding every time. Tightly sealed to protect potency, SmartPaks ensure that your horse always has the freshest supplements available. SmartPaks over $40 are delivered free automatically every 28 days, so you never worry about running out.

---

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, and Virginia.

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, presented by Mortgage Call, in Thermal, California, the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida, and Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix, presented by Wells Fargo, 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 or follow us on Twitter.

Media should contact the HITS Media Team at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com.