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SAUGERTIES,
NY (July 27, 2010)—Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward and
Goldika 559 won the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented
by Pfizer Animal Health,
on Sunday, marking the third Grand Prix victory for the duo this
year in the Strongid® C 2X
Stadium at HITS Saugerties.
Ward, of Brewster, New York and 18 year-old mare Goldika 559,
owned by McLain Ward & Blue Chip Bloodstock, were one of 27 horse-and-rider
combinations to take the field on a course designed by International
Course Designer Florencio Hernandez of Mexico City, Mexico, which
saw just four pairs advance to the jump-off.
Hernandez's first-round course
proved challenging, as the first six competitors pairs failed
to go clean, with a majority of faults coming in the two double
combinations. The time allowed, at 83 seconds, was tight as well
and caused many to incur time faults over the course.
The first clear effort came in
the reins of the winner of Friday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented
by Pfizer Animal Health, Margie Engle of West Palm Beach, Florida
on Indigo, owned by Gladewinds Farm Inc.
"It was a difficult course," said Engle. "The in-and-out to the
in-and-out was difficult; it was an oxer to oxer with difficult
striding to a vertical to vertical, with very tough planks."
Three trips later, Ward and Goldika 559 went clean to force
a jump-off which had all the makings of a repeat from Friday's
class when Engle finished first and second and Ward finished right
behind her in third and fourth.
At the end of the first round, Ward on his second mount, Vocas,
owned by Louisburg Farm, and Tracy Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas,
aboard MTM Centano, owned by MTM Farm, composed an all-star
jump-off.
With Ward having two mounts in the jump-off, the odds were heavily
in his favor to seal a victory, although Engle seemed to have
major momentum from Friday's win and Fenney has a habit of defeating
the best of the best.
Engle and Indigo started things off and right away the
pair set the Great
American Time To Beat at 34.612 seconds in the first double-clear
effort.
"He [Indigo] jumped so
well and was so fast on Friday that I went as fast I felt comfortable
going and he was super," she said. "I got him around the end of
March and he's been a great horse."
Ward and Goldika 559 were
next to show, taking the lead away from Engle with a clean round
in 32.895 seconds, more than two seconds faster that Engle.
With two trips remaining, Ward
was next to show aboard Vocas and had another clear effort
in 35.867, which would ultimately place third. Fenney and MTM
Centano were last to show in the jump-off. Unfortunately,
the pair had to settle for fourth place after they dropped a rail
which cost them four faults.
Callan Solem, of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania,
rounded out the top five in the class as she was one of the several
riders who suffered a time fault in the first round aboard Torlando
Group's VDL Torlando.
Sunday's featured class marked Ward's eighth Grand Prix needed
to become eligible for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and he
now enters the Eligible
Rider Rankings at fourth place. Engle also hit eight Grand
Prix classes on Sunday and is now tied for 14th in the Rankings
with $29,250 in prize money won on her leading horse Indigo.
Fenney sits at number three in the Rankings, while Solem is 10th.
"The footing held up so good
in that ring and I think there have been better and better horses
competing there in order to qualify, so it's been very competitive,"
said Engle.
Show jumping at HITS Saugerties continues this week with an exciting
lineup of classes and events, including the $25,000 HITS Grand
Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, on Friday, July 30, the
$10,000 Devoucoux Hunter
Derby on Saturday, July 31, and the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented
by Pfizer Animal Health, on Sunday, August 1. Also, don't miss
the return of the popular Arenus
Puttin' Plus Party on Friday, July 30 at the Puttin' Plus mini-golf,
go-cart and batting cage facility located across from the show
grounds on Washington Avenue.
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