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OCALA, FL
(March 2, 2007) — Kyle King is the first to admit he caught a bit of a break in Thursday's $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Ocala. After making it into the jump-off, King and his mount Spitfire were the fastest of the bunch with four faults as none of the other seven riders returning for Olaf Petersen's jump-off course could negotiate the route clean.
"I was third to go in the jump-off and everyone before me had a rail down," said King. "I have a naturally fast horse, so I knew if I went fast I would put the pressure on everyone else. I was lucky it worked out for me today. I have lost plenty of classes for a lot less."
King said the rollback jump at the end of the Petersen's jump-off route is what did most of the others in. "It was a really tough jump and my horse was perfect going over it. I think that is where I was able to shave a few seconds off of my time and that allowed me to get the victory today."
Spitfire is a 10-year-old french horse that King has only been riding since September. "It was nice to win," he said. "I've been having little things happen to me that have kept me out of the winners circle. Hopefully, I am getting ready to peak just in time for the $100,000 class in a few weeks."
Five other horse/rider combinations dropped the rollback jump, including Hyde Moffatt and Ting Tin who were first to go in the jump-off. Their time of 37.096 was surpassed by King and Spitfire when they set the Great American Time to Beat at 33.935 just two trips later.
Sergio Campos and Zizou came within seconds of taking over the top spot, but their time of 35.961 would land them in second place as Campos collected $5,500 in prize money. King would take home $7,500 for Linda Opdycke.
Tracy Magness and Tarco Van Ter Moude gave it their best shot in the last-to-ride position, but her four fault score and time of 38.555 put her in fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Sharn Wordley and Mr. Flannagan. The horse/rider combination had one rail down and collected $1,500 in prize money.
"Olaf made it very technical," said King. "He had seven clean and made it a small track for the 27 horses so it was nice. It was a perfect Grand Prix for my horse."
This weekend, children of all ages and their parents are invited to enjoy a day of family activities as HITS brings the fun and games to Post Time Farm on Sunday. Children will love watching the show jumping competition, which starts at 8 AM and goes to 5 PM and includes everything from Pony Jumper to Olympic-level Grand Prix jumping. Kids Day activities begin at noon and conclude at 2 PM. Admission is $5 for adults on weekends, children 12 and under are admitted free.
Following the Kids Day activities, the attention shifts to the Grand Prix field. The $50,000 Iron Springs Farm Grand Prix, presented by Sag Harbor Realtors caps off an exciting week of show jumping.
HITS is proud to host competitions in its new Grand Prix ring and new Main Hunter ring with a raised berm for VIP seating that overlooks both rings. These rings are located at the east end of the current show ring area. Both rings feature state-of-the-art footing provided by Footing Authority™, a division of International Surfaces Group, Inc. The Grand Prix ring features Polyrite™, the industry's most advanced polymer-coated synthetic footing, while the Main Hunter ring provides a soft ride on EuroFelt®-enhanced footing.
Since its introduction
in 1982, the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit has become
a fixture on the East Coast show jumping circuit.
Each winter, the Ocala Circuit attracts national
and international participants from the United
States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Classes offered
range from the Grand Prix show jumping classes
to a selection of divisions for both the beginning
and experienced rider. Located in Ocala/Marion
County, the heart of Florida's horse country,
the area is home to over 600 horse farms and hundreds
of supporting facilities and businesses. HITS
moved the Ocala horse shows from the 100-acre
Golden Hills International Show Grounds to the
circuit's new home, the 300+ acre Post Time Farm
in 2002. HITS Post Time Farm is located just a few
miles west of the Golden Hills International Show
Grounds on Highway 27. The Post Time Training
Center was originally built for thoroughbred racehorses.
The facility is professionally landscaped and
features gated entrances, 52 miles of four-board
fencing, 26 permanent barns that house 500 stalls,
numerous paddocks, bridle paths, and additional
buildings for the horse show office, restaurant,
and on-site school.
In January 2006 HITS
entered into a private equity arrangement with
Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. in Los Angeles.
As a result, HITS, Inc. is able to develop and
execute exciting operational and strategic initiatives
that both solidify its well-established position
as the leader in horse show management and allows
for new growth opportunities including the construction
of the new HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.
HITS generates significant economic impact in
each of its five venues in California, Arizona,
Florida, Virginia and New York.
©Lili Weik Photography
Kyle King and Spitfire win the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix
HITS' VIP Concierge, Holly Bachor, congratulates Kyle King in the winners circle.
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Placing
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Horse
|
Rider
|
Owner
|
Prize
Money
|
Rd
1 Faults
|
JO
Faults
|
JO
Time
|
|
1 |
Spitfire |
Kyle King |
Linda Opdycke |
$7,500 |
0 |
4 |
33.93 |
|
2 |
Zizou |
Sergio Campos |
Sergio Campos |
$5,500 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
3 |
Ting Tin |
Hyde Moffatt |
Hawkestone Farms |
$3,250 |
0 |
4 |
37.09 |
|
4 |
Tarco Van Ter Moude |
Tracy Magness |
Mr. and Mrs. John Bartko |
$2,000 |
0 |
4 |
38.55 |
|
5 |
Mr. Flannagan |
Sharn Wordley |
Sharn Wordley |
$1,500 |
0 |
4 |
38.63 |
|
6 |
Gentleman George |
Aaron Vale |
Solitude Farm |
$1,250 |
0 |
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