Hunters converge at HITS Post Time Farm to Contend for the Money and An Elite Victory

Ocala, FL (February 15, 2016): The weekend started off right for hunter exhibitors in Week IV of the Ocala Winter Circuit with Saturday’s Devoucoux Hunter Prix, with a bigger prize purse of $10,000, and the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix.

Aaron Vale has been on fire in the Ocala Horse Properties Grand Prix Stadium, and on Saturday, he returned to claim the throne in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, a qualifying opportunity for the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix at the HITS Championship in September 2016. The Texas native, aboard Dress Balou, owned by Donald Stewart, rocked the class with a first-round score of 88 and a second-round score of 93 to take home the title with a total of 181, proving they are ready defend their crown as two-time champions in the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final.

Behind Vale was Week III’s $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix winner Daniel Geitner of Aiken, South Carolina riding Sky Pilot, owned by Allison Mills. They turned out the highest score in the first round with a 91, combined with an 84 in the second, totaling 175 for second-place.

Third went to Bedminster, New Jersey, equestrian Amanda Steege aboard Calvary, owned by Jessica Tindley. They earned scores of 81 and 88, respectively for a total of 169. The effort marked Steege’s second time placing in the top three after garnering second place in Ocala Week III’s $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix.

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	R.1 Score	R.2 Score	Total
1	Dress Balou	Donald Stewart	Aaron Vale	$2,800	88	93	181
2	Sky Pilot	Allison Mills	Daniel Geitner	$1,800	91	84	175
3	Calvary	Jessica Tindley	Amanda Steege	$1,200	86	88	174
4	Caramo	Caroline Russell Howe	Harold Chopping	$900	84	89	173
5	Chicago	Redfield Farm	Cassandra Kahle	$800	90	78	168
6	Ava	Kathryn Jarriel	Kathryn Jarriel	$700	82	83	165
7	Calido's Son	Mimi Rothman	Douglas Boyd	$600	85	79	164
8	Just Sayin	Fairfield Farms LLC	Aaron Vale	$450	83	75	158

$1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix
Ocala’s fourth qualifying opportunity for the $250,000 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix Final at the HITS Championship in September 2016, got underway on Saturday.

The team to beat was Acido 7 and rider and owner Elizabeth Bailey, of Roanoke, Virginia, as they garnered the highest scoring trip of both rounds. They earned a first-round score of 85, improving to a second-round score of 87 for a total of 172 for the coveted, blue ribbon.

Boston equestrian, Corinne Milbury, and Parker, owned by Saddle Ridge LLC, came in behind Bailey with a first-round score of 78.5, making a comeback with a second-round score of 82, earning second-place with a total of 162.5.

Third-place was awarded to Reveille Z, owned and ridden by Sydney DeGrazia from Rochester, New York. A score of 79 in the first round combined with an 80 in the second, gave them a total of 159.

Fourth-place went to St. Petersburg, Florida, equestrian Emma Witham and Zenith UHS, owned by 2VR Showjumpers. Elizabeth Traband of Round Hill, Virginia, and her mount, Huh, claimed fifth.

Hunter exhibitors have plenty of excitement ahead in the coming weeks of the Ocala Winter Circuit. The biggest hunter week of the Winter, Week VI, will feature a plethora of exclusive events: the $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, the World Championship Hunter Rider Week and the debut of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Zone 4 Handy Hunter Classic to the Ocala Masters (Week VI).
 
 

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	R.1 Score	R.2 Score	Total
1	Acido 7	Elizabeth Bailey	Elizabeth Bailey	$450	85	87	172
2	Parker	Saddle Ridge LLC	Corinne Milbury	$300	78.5	84	162.5
3	Reveille Z	Sydney DeGrazia	Sydney DeGrazia	$200	79	80	159
4	Zenith UHS	2VR Showjumpers	Emma Witham	$150	76	82	158
5	Huh	Elizabeth Traband	Elizabeth Traband	$125	82	75	157
6	Herrold	Mindy Whitman	Anna Whitman	$100	77.5	77	154.5
7	Bellefield	Emily Miller	Emily Miller	$100	77	75	152
8	Wiltord D	Melissa Hamlet	Melissa Hamlet	$100	73	73	148