Amanda Steege and Zidane Once Again Top $5,000 Devouxoux Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala

OCALA, Florida (February 28, 2015): Amanda Steege from Bedminster, New Jersey, took first place in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix for the third time this season with scores of 84 and 88 for a total of 172 on Susan Darragh’s 11-year-old Zidane.

Zidane has earned more than $6,000 in prizes in the Devoucoux Hunter Prix thus far during the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, which his team attributes to his consistent performances and great jumping style. Steege was especially pleased with him this week and is looking forward to jumping with him in the finals in Saugerties this September, saying, “I liked my second round much better than my first. It flowed. I thought I under-rode the five stride line a little in the first round. This many weeks into the show I think it’s hard for the course to spark an older horse’s interest. I mainly aim him toward this type of class to keep him sharp.”

Second-place winner Dorothy Douglas of Flower Mound, Texas, and MTM Farm’s MTM Retro led the first round with an 86 but had a hind rub a rail in the second round for an 81 to total 167. Third-place Molly McAdow of Crystal Lake, Illinois, riding Lanie Bricker’s Charlie Brown, was just one point off of second place with scores of 82 and 84 for a total of 166 in a field of 36 competitors who challenged each other over the course designed by Pat Muskus of Williston, Florida.

“It was not just a cookie cutter course,” MTM Retro owner Michael McCormick said. “For this course you had to have step, you had to have scope, you had to jump properly, and the better horses were leading this class as a result.”

Rounding out fourth place was Greg Prince from Sherborn, Massachusetts, riding Artillery Lane’s Chances R. “He’s such a fun horse,” said Prince. “We just got him in October.” The duo of the first-year competitor, Chances R, and Prince earned scores of 81.5 and 83 for a total of 164.5.

(c) ESI Photography
Amanda Steege and Zidane, owned by Susan Darragh, jump to first in the HITS Ocala Week VII $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix February 28, 2015.

(c) ESI Photography
Amanda Steege and Zidane, owned by Susan Darragh, win the blue ribbon in the HITS Ocala Week VII $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix February 28, 2015.

$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	Rd. 1/2	Total
1	Zidane	Susan Darragh	Amanda Steege	$1,500	84/88	172
2	MTM Retro	MTM Farm	Dorothy Douglas	$1,000	86/81	167
3	Charlie Brown	Lanie Bricker	Molly McAdow	$700	82/84	166
4	Chances R	Artillery Lane LLC	Greg Prince	$500	81.5/83	164.5
5	Lovely Charity	Nicole Hiehle	Nicole Hiehle	$400	81/82	163
6	Rouge E'cureuil	Caitlin Andersen	Kris Killam	$350	83.5/78	161.5
7	Savile Row	Erik Swanson	Molly McAdow	$300	83/75	158
8	Lavish	Phyllis Harlow	David Beisel	$250	78.75/79	157.75

Betty Oare and Tryonite Win the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala Week VII

Only one-and-a-half points separated the top five competitors in the Platinum Performance Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala Week VII. Going into the second round the 12 duos found their first round scores tightly packed with a span of just six points. Betty Oare, of Warrenton, Virginia, nailed a score of 86 to add to her first round score of 83.5 to total 169.5 for the win on Tryonite, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest M. Oare.

Margaret Von Ebers of West Fargo, North Dakota, on her Prestige, took a close second with scores of 86 and 83 for a total of 169. Cara Garito of Colts Neck, New Jersey, on her Carla, was third with scores of 84.5 and 84 to total 168.5.

Just shy of Garito’s score by a quarter-point, Emily Lemasters of Ponte Verde Beach, Florida, won fourth, riding Laine Foshee’s Loyal Heart with scores of 83.5 and 85 to total 168.25. Amy Lloyd Thompson rounded out fifth place on her Paramount with 85 and 83 to total an even 168.

Oare said after her win, “My brother Bucky found this mare for me and we bought her at this horse show two years ago. She was quite green when we bought her as a 10-year-old and now as a 12-year-old she’s finally grown up. I will be doing the adults at least through this circuit and the Prix gives me something extra and fun to do. We’ve been up to Saugerties a few times for the Finals so we keep crossing our fingers that we qualify.”

Texan Tucker Williams designed the course. In total, 45 juniors and amateurs rode in the first round with the top twelve scores, ranging from 82.25 to 88, returning for a second round.

(c) ESI Photography
Betty Oare and Tryonite jump to first in the HITS Ocala Week VII $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on February 28, 2015.

(c) ESI Photography
Betty Oare and Tryonite won the blue in the HITS Ocala Week VII $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on February 28, 2015.

$1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	Rd. 1/2	Total
1	Tryonite	Mr. & Mrs. Ernest M. Oare	Betty Oare	$450	83.5/86	169.5
2	Prestige	Margaret Von Ebers	Margaret Von Ebers	$300	86/83	169
3	Carla	Cara Garito	Cara Garito	$200	84.5/84	168.5
4	Loyal Heart	Laine Foshee	Emily Lemasters	$150	85/83.25	168.25
5	Paramount	Amy Lloyd Thompson	Amy Lloyd Thompson	$125	83/85	168
6	Hey Sailor	Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center	Alex Trolli	$100	84/80	164
7	Del Piero	Alex Trolli	Alex Trolli	$100	88/74	162
8	Snowland	Kristen Price	Kristen Price	$75	83.25/76	159.25

Theresa Tolar and Hillcrest Songbird Win the $5,000 Pony Hunter Prix

Theresa Tolar of Mooresville, North Carolina, riding Hillcrest Songbird, a large pony owned by Canterbury Farm and trained by Greg Franklin, won the $5,000 Pony Hunter Prix with the highest score of 87 in the first round, followed by a strong 87.5 in the second, to finish with a commanding total of 174.5.

Second place with an 86 and an 87 to total 173 was Devin Seek of Ocala, Florida, on Pride Roc, owned by KMW Ponies LLC. Pride Roc is a German Riding Pony that shows in the medium pony hunters. Seek’s total score of 173 was five points higher than that of third-place winner Abigail Lefkowitz of Scarsdale, New York, who, riding her own large pony Vermont Show Me the Gold, scored an 85 and an 84 for a total of 169.

(c) ESI Photography
Theresa Tolar and Hillcrest Songbird jump to first in the HITS Ocala Week VII $5,000 Pony Hunter Prix on March 1, 2015.

(c) ESI Photography
Theresa Tolar and Hillcrest Songbird claimed the blue in the HITS Ocala Week VII $5,000 Pony Hunter Prix on March 1, 2015.

Hillcrest Songbird’s trainer, Franklin, said of the win, “I thought the course was a fair test and my pony handled all the questions that were asked, beautifully. I’ve had the pony about five years and she does the regular large pony division. She’s a super jumper and a great mover and Teresa did a great job catch-riding for me.”

Held on the outside course on Sunday, the Pony Hunter Prix was an opportunity for riders on ponies of all different sizes to compete against each other for $5,000 in prizes. It’s a unique class that HITS has presented in both Ocala and at the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California, for nearly a decade.

$5,000 Pony Hunter Prix

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize	Rd. 1/2	Total
1	Hillcrest Songbird	Canterbury Farm	Theresa Tolar	$1,500	87/87.5	174.5
2	Pride Rock	KMW Ponies LLC	Devin Seek	$1,000	86/87	173
3	Vermont Show Me The Gold	Abigail Lefkowitz	Abigail Lefkowitz	$700	85/84	169
4	Hallelujah	Rose Hill Farm	Catherine Black	$500	82/81	163
5	Tiffany Blue	Libbie Gordon	Devin Seek	$400	73/88	161
6	Baby Blue	Bibby Hill	Libbie Gordon	$350	78/80	158
7	Sports Cast	Madeline Schaefer	Madeline Schaefer	$300	84/73	157
8	Rodeo Drive	Madelaine Black	Madelaine Black	$250	76/79	155

About Devoucoux
Devoucoux, maker of fine French saddles, is proud to be the title sponsor of each and every qualifying Hunter Prix leading up to the phenomenal Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. Devoucoux offers a wide range of saddles in many colors and sizes and matching accessories. Devoucoux craftsmen are devoted to creating beautiful products that reflect their obsession with quality and lovingly finished work. For more information on Devoucoux, visit devoucoux.com.

About Platinum Performance®
Platinum Performance® provides more than 10 supplements essential to your horse’s health and conditioning in just one scoop. Platinum Performance® Equine addresses a horse's total body health from joint and hoof care to athletic performance and coat health, and is the 2015 sponsor of the $250,000 Hunter Prix Final and all qualifiers. For more information on Platinum Performance, visit platinumperformance.com.

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.

2015 Horse Show Dates

HITS Ocala Winter Circuit December 11th - March 23rd, 2025

Amanda Steege and Zidane Once Again Top $5,000 Devouxoux Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala

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