Week V of the 2022 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit has Wrapped!

Familiar names Kristen VanderVeen, Aaron Vale, Andre Thieme & Daniel Geitner add more big wins to their resumes 
With the conclusion of the fifth week, the 2022 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit has reached the halfway point! The Ocala Winter Festival featured FEI CSI2* competition, the $100,000 Ocala Electric Utility USEF Grand Prix, a $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, and so much more! Read on for the winners of Week V's featured competition.
 
Hayley Waters and DESPERADO jumped their way to the first featured win of the week in Wednesday's $5,000 Open Welcome. Waters was the only rider to advance to the jump-off round as the only rider without jumping faults in the first round, and she posted a very respectable time of 41.250.

  • 2nd Place: Hadden Frost & PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS [4-faults, 72.727]
  • 3rd Place: Devin Ryan & ASCALITTA SBK Z [4-faults, 73.319]
Harold Chopping was the second of six riders to attempt the jump-off course in Thursday's $7,500 HITS Open Prix, and the only who could complete it cleanly. He and GERONIMO SCF took the blue ribbon with their time of 41.311. 

  • 2nd Place: Tracy Magness & INTENZ VAN HD [4-faults, 42.976]
  • 3rd Place: Quinn Larimer & LIMBOY VON WORRENBERG [4-faults, 43.556]
In Thursday's FEI CSI2* $25,000 SmartPak Welcome, eight riders advanced to the jump-off round after a clean first round. Kristen VanderVeen and BULL RUN'S FAUSTINO DE TILI were the first to attempt the short course and posted the Great American Time to Beat of 33.255. Though the riders following VanderVeen gave their best efforts, especially Aaron Vale and Luis Sabino Goncalves, none could quite match that time, giving her the win.

  • 2nd Place: Vale & CONDARCO [33.481]
  • 3rd Place: Sabino Goncalves & BILBOA DES CHAINES [34.092]
Tracy Magness and INTENZ VAN HD landed on the top step of the podium for the $10,000 Post Time Classic on Saturday. Magness' time of 37.061 put her in the lead, and she had to wait through three more rounds to learn that she earned the win.

  • 2nd Place:  Kaitlyn Williams & CASSIO MELLONI [37.730]
  • 3rd Place:  Francois Lamontagne & GIANA [38.639]

From the first spot in the order, Aaron Vale claimed yet another victory in Saturday's $50,000 FEI Grand Prix. Vale waited as eight other riders joined him in the jump-off round, then he and CONDARCO completed the short course in 36.28. Jordan Kilkenny came incredibly close but could not best Vale's run.

2nd Place:  Kilkenny & COCO CHANEL M [36.68]
3rd Place:  Luis Sabino Goncalves & BILBOA DE CHAINES [37.71]
No stranger to big wins at HITS Ocala, Germany's Andre Thieme claimed another impressive victory in Sunday's $100,000 Ocala Electric Utility Grand Prix. Rowan Willis posted the first clear time around Ken Krome's jump-off course with his second attempt at it, but he was bested by the next rider, Francois Lamontagne. The final of eight riders, Thieme and DSP CHAKARIA navigated the course in 35.431, nearly three seconds better than the field!

  • 2nd Place:  Lamontagne & CHANEL DU CALVAIRE [38.022]
  • 3rd Place:  Willis & BLUE MOVIE [38.927]
Jumper Classic Winners
  • $1,000 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic - Low: Marcellina Vitale & REMIREVO
  • $1,500 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic - Medium: Olivia Brown & ALANIA
  • $2,000 M&S/NAL/WIHS Child Jumper Classic - High: Chloe Halsnik & K RIVER
  • $2,000 M&S/NAL/WIHS Adult Jumper Classic - High: Channing Noxon & MISSONI 8
  • $2,500 Pyranha/NAL Junior/Amateur 1.25m Jumper Classic: Mira Korber &
  • PATENT PENDING 3E
  • $5,000 Junior/Amateur 1.35m/1.45 Jumper Classic: Laura Linback & SKAT 15
 
The Adeptus Leading Jumper Rider Award is presented each week to the rider accumulating the most points in one of the Open 0.65m to 1.40m divisions.

Congratulations to this week's winner: Christopher Webb


Medal Winners

M&S Junior Medal: Daphne Markcrow
Pyranha Children's Medal - Horse: Chloe Halsnik
M&S Children's Medal - Pony: Blake Brumberg
Dover Saddlery Adult Medal: Erin Higgins
M&S 2'6" Child/Adult Medal: Bree Harvatine
With the highest score of each of the two rounds, Daniel Geitner won the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby on Saturday. Geitner and PEN AND INK earned scores of 90 and 94 for an overall total of 184.

  • 2nd Place:  Jennifer Alfano & FAIRFAX [178]
  • 3rd Place:  Kristen Bumpus & QUIDAM'S REVEAL [175.5]
In Saturday's $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix, Ava Svatos rode RIO ORO to a strong first round score of 84 and the best second round score, an 86. Svatos' overall total of 170 earned her a trip to the winner's circle.

  • 2nd Place: Schuyler Dayner & JUST ONE YESTERDAY [168]
  • 3rd Place:  Kate Egan & CARINO [164]
Hunter Classic Winners
  • M&S Bit O' Straw Hunter Classic: Sophia Sisco & DOUBLE EAGLE
  • $500 M&S/NAL/WIHS Child Hunter Classic - Horse:  Sydney Woychuk &
  • DASSETT RICOCHET
  • $500 M&S Child Hunter Classic - Pony: Alexandra Sawinski & JUST MY STYLE
  • $500 SmartPak M&S/NAL/WIHS Adult Hunter Classic: Robin Schwartz &
  • BACK IN THE GAME
  • $1,000 CWD Junior Hunter Classic 3'6": Annabelle Brown & STYLE
  • $1,000 Antares Junior Hunter Classic 3'3": Emerson Cassidy & CROWN
  • $1,000 Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic 3'6": Kelli Gibson & TYCOON
  • $1,000 Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic 3'3": Jaime Auletto & PRIMROSE
  • $1,000 Perfect Products Pony Hunter Classic: Reagan Jarrett & DREAM BIG
On Sunday afternoon, the top riders of the first five weeks of the Circuit were acknowledged with the presentation of the HITS Ocala Mid-Circuit Champion Awards. Congratulations of all of the award winners!
Click here for the full listing of results from the HITS Ocala Winter Festival.
Click here for the HITS Ocala Winter Festival photo galleries.