Week VI of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit has Concluded!

Week VI of the 2022 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit has Wrapped!
The week belonged to Aaron Vale & Andre Thieme 
The second half of the 2022 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit is underway, with the sixth week of competition coming to a close. The Ocala Masters featured FEI CSI2* competition, the $100,000 John Deere USEF Grand Prix, a $10,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix, USHJA Zone 4 Handy Hunter Challenges, and masterful riding all around. Read on for the winners of Week VI's featured competition.
 
Aaron Vale earned his first featured win of the week in Wednesday's $5,000 Open Welcome. Vale and CRISTO BEECH were the final pair to attempt the short course and posted the fastest time of 39.150.

2nd Place: Lisa Goldman-Smolen & NIKE [40.857]
3rd Place: Declan Egan & FEDERAL JUSTICE CHAVANNAIS [43.511]
Vale landed on the top of the podium once again in Thursday's $7,500 HITS Open Prix. Riding Krug Z, Vale crossed the timers in the jump-off round in 44.967. For the second straight day, Lisa Goldman-Smolen found herself trailing only Vale.

2nd Place: Goldman-Smolen & BENGTSSON [46.269]
3rd Place: Dorothy Douglas & MTM PABLO [49.160]
Vale rode winning momentum into Thursday's FEI CSI2* $25,000 SmartPak Welcome. As the first rider, he became the first entry to advance to the jump-off and was later joined by Hunter Holloway and Diego Perez Bilbao. Vale and I ADERMIE R4's jump-off time of 47.28 could not be caught by his competition, earning him his third featured win of the week. 

2nd Place: Perez Bilbao & ENJA 21 [49.76]
3rd Place: Holloway & DANA DE KERGLENN [4-faults, 47.90]
On Saturday, Dorothy Douglas broke through for the win in the $10,000 Post Time Classic. Douglas and MTM MARCOS posted the faster of two clear jump-off rounds, completing the course in 48.306. Lisa Goldman-Smolen completed the other clear jump-off round, landing in the runner-up spot for the third time this week. 

2nd Place:  Goldman-Smolen & NIKE [49.207]
3rd Place:  Hadden Frost & PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS [4-faults, 50.427]
After missing the earlier podium on Saturday, Vale asserted his dominance by returning to the top in Saturday's $50,000 FEI Grand Prix. From fifth in the order, Vale and Lori Osterstock's I ADERMIE R4 completed Danny Foster's course cleanly in 88.27. That proved to be the only fault-free run, as Luis Sabino Goncalves incurred three time faults in his otherwise clean run, and all other riders had at least four jumping faults.

2nd Place:  Sabino Goncalves & BILBOA DE CHAINES [3-faults, 92.68]
3rd Place:  Hunter Holloway & DANA DE KERGLENN [4-faults, 85.55]
Andre Thieme followed last week's big win with another in the $100,000 John Deere Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. The German Olympian used a careful strategy, navigating his first of two jump-off rides, CELLISTO, slowly but cleanly through the jump-off course. Thieme completed the course in 54.315, just under the allotted time of 55 seconds. The run held as the only fault-free trip, adding another win to Thieme's illustrious resume. 

2nd Place:  Rowan Willis & BILLY GUILDER [4-faults, 43.248]
3rd Place:  Thieme & CONACCO [4-faults, 51.921]
Jumper Classic Winners

$1,000 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic - Low: Adriana Machado &
WORTH MELTING FOR

$1,500 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic - Medium: Olivia Brown & BRIXTON

$2,000 M&S/NAL/WIHS Child Jumper Classic - High: Aiva Gamelin & MR. LOPEZ

$2,000 M&S/NAL/WIHS Adult Jumper Classic - High: Alyson Gurney & BLACK FRIDAY

$2,500 Pyranha/NAL Junior/Amateur 1.25m Jumper Classic: Grace Zeck &
EB CORSEGA Z

$5,000 Junior/Amateur 1.35m Jumper Classic: Laura Linback & SKAT 15

$7,500 Junior/Amateur 1.45m Jumper Classic: Stella Wasserman & LEZARO
 

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:
Genevive Dora Tejero
 


Medal Winners


M&S Junior Medal: Kate Mills

Pyranha Children's Medal - Horse: Amanda Thomas

Dover Saddlery Adult Medal: Laura Van Rooyen

M&S 2'6" Child/Adult Medal: Lillian Cain
In Saturday's $10,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix, Jennifer Alfano and ENZO W earned matching scores of 86 in the first and second round to claim the blue ribbon with a total of 172. Alfano's highest score of the second round was enough to push her ahead of Daniel Geitner, who rounded out the podium with two mounts.

2nd Place:  Geitner & LORD DON [170]
3rd Place:  Geitner & PEN AND INK [769]
Ava Svatos claimed the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix for the second straight week on Saturday afternoon. Svatos and RIO ORO earned scores of 86 and 87 in each of the respective rounds for an overall score of 173, three points higher than last week's total. 

2nd Place: Christy Violin & MTM PATRONUS [168]
3rd Place:  Parker Devine & CANOLETTO [164]
Also on Saturday, HITS Ocala hosted the USHJA Zone 4 Handy Hunter Challenges. The USHJA Zone 4 Hunter Committee created this program to provide Handy Hunter Challenges which test skills that riders and their horses might use during an enjoyable day of foxhunting, combining the elements of flat and over-fences classes. Elizabeth Serafini and GLENMORE MONEY earned the win in the $500 USHJA Zone 4 Handy Hunter Challenge - Pony, and Madeline Jordan and CONGO MCF claimed the $500 USHJA Zone 4 Handy Hunter Challenge - Child/Adult.
Hunter Classic Winners

M&S Bit O' Straw Hunter Classic: Courtney Williams & TITANIUM 818 Z

$500 M&S/NAL/WIHS Child Hunter Classic - Horse: Sophia Sisco &
DOUBLE EAGLE

$500 M&S Child Hunter Classic - Pony: Lennox Biegel &
GREYMEADOWS GINGER SNAP

$500 SmartPak M&S/NAL/WIHS Adult Hunter Classic: Sandra Bierman &
GILDED

$1,000 CWD Junior Hunter Classic 3'6": Annabelle Brown & STYLE

$1,000 Antares Junior Hunter Classic 3'3": Rose Campbell & COSIDO

$1,000 Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic 3'6": Alexa Bayko & ALL OF ME

$1,000 Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic 3'3": Annie Walsh & LITTLE BOY BALOU

$1,000 Perfect Products Pony Hunter Classic: Sophia Welniak & STONEWALL TEXAS
Click here for the full listing of results from the HITS Ocala Winter Festival.
Click here for the HITS Ocala Winter Festival photo galleries.