Will Simpson Wins $34,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Michael and Kenzie 1911

Thermal, California (February 19, 2015): Olympian Will Simpson continued to set high standards with his Grand Prix winning spree at HITS Thermal, claiming his impressive seventh first-place win this season in the $34,000 HITS Desert Classic, Presented by Michael and Kenzie 1911, on Thursday.

Eleven horses made the jump-off and seven went double-clear. Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, went last to finish double-clear in 36.45 seconds. In second was Eduardo Menezes, on Quintal Mercedes Benz, owned by Santiago Hank, who went second-to-last and finished a clean jump-off round in 37.04 seconds. Rounding out the top three was Patricio Pasquel on his own Careyes, finishing with no faults in 37.11 seconds.

The Dude, Simpson said, has elevated the entire Monarch team and made a critical impact on their classes in this circuit. "He is wonderful to have in the barn and has added some real excitement for us," he said. When asked about his string of Grand Prix wins and other competitors at HITS Thermal, Simpson said, "It's like a heated battle that we are all having so much fun with. All day long everyone keeps saying stuff to me in great fun, that they will do this or do that to catch me. It's great sport and it's what we are here for. I live for this stuff, and when you finally have a superstar horse it gets pretty sweet."

He tries not to think about how many wins he’s had this circuit, but others don’t let him forget that fact. "I come out and do my job diligently. I am so fortunate to have a great team in the Heidegger family (which owns Monarch International) and amazing guys in the barn who have everything running just right. We are all working overtime to keep everything going along smoothly. I'll let him have some time off now, 'til Sunday; he is a young horse and we are careful with him. But he sure loves this and I don't want to get ahead of him. Man that was fun."

Second-place winner Menezes said of Simpson's wins, "Will has ramped up the sport of jumping here and it's been good for all of us. We are all going faster and going after him and that has made us all better. This is why we show these horses, wanting not only for the win, but to be a part of a good win. Winning and being the only clear is nice but it’s just not our sport -  this circuit has been anything but dull. We will continue to try to catch him."

Pascal, too, commented on the Grand Prix. "The class was more technical than big today,” he said. "With 10 in the jump-off, it was nice, although a bit different going at night. My horse was quite good and I tried to run fast to beat Will. We are going to have to go super-fast to beat him."

iJump Sports contributed to this report.

(c) ESI Photography
Will Simpson and the Dude with the $34,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Michael and Kenzie 1911, at HITS Thermal on Thursday, February 19.

 

(c) ESI Photography
Will Simpson wins his seventh blue ribbon for a Grand Prix in the $34,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Michael and Kenzie 1911, at HITS Thermal on Thursday, February 19.

​$34,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Michael and Kenzie 1911

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	Rd. 1 Faults	JO Faults	JO Time
1	The Dude	Monarch International	William Simpson	$11,200	0	0	36.45
2	Quintol Mercedes Benz	Santiago Hank	Eduardo Menezes	$6,800	0	0	37.04
3	Careyes	Patricio Pasquel	Patricio Pasquel	$5,100	0	0	37.11
4	Basimodo	Signe Otsby	Karl Cook	$3,400	0	0	37.92
5	AJE Cluny	AJE Equitation	Christian Heineking	$2,040	0	0	38.80
6	Warinde B	Hester Equestrian, LLC	Lauren Hester	$1,530	0	0	43.20
7	Casseur de Prix	Grandville Equine	Jenni McAllister	$1,020	0	0	44.13
8	Don Juan	Federco Fernandez Senderos	Paolo Amilibla	$850	0	4	41.30
9	Prunella D'Ariel	Frederico Fernandez Senderos	Paolo Amilibla	$680	0	4	46.99
10	Lux Lady	Harry & Mollie Chapman	Rich Fellers	$680	0	12	39.32
11	Jonkheer Z	Signe Ostby	Karl Cook	$340	0	*	*
12	Calero	Neaulani Farms	Allyssa Hecht	$34	1	*	*

 

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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.