Back on Top: Jared Petersen and Titus 2:11 Take Home $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, Presented by Zoetis

CULPEPER, VA (August 20, 2013) – Twenty-one-year-old Jared Petersen of Archer, Florida and fellow Legacy Farm rider Jordan Coyne of New Port Richey, Florida went one-two in Sunday’s $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Culpeper, posting the only double clear rounds of the day. In a field that included grand prix veterans such as Laura Linback, Tracy Fenney and Ian Silitch, Petersen and Coyne topped a field of 20 over a course set by Ken Krome of Westminster, Maryland.

“This is as good as it gets,” said Derek Petersen, who trains both Coyne and his son Jared. “They braved the elements and rode really well over a fair course.”

The track included 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts with a double combination at fence three and a triple combination at the final effort. Faults were evenly spread throughout the course, but the final fences seemed to pose the most difficulty. Fence 11 preceded a rollback to the right to fence 12, which was followed by a bending line to the triple.

In the third trip of the class, Ian Silitch of Ocala, Florida posted the first clear round with Gaston Family Investments, LLC’s Vanita. He was followed by Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas on MTM Timon and Petersen on Derek Petersen’s Titus 2:11. Coyne on her own Lazaro and Fenney on MTM Farm’s MTM Centano rounded out a five-horse jump-off.

Silitch and Fenney both had rails early in the jump-off before Petersen returned to post a fault-free round in 35.70 seconds and the Great American Time to Beat.

“I saw Tracy had a rail with Timon, which took a lot of pressure off, but I knew she had Centano coming back and wasn’t going to underestimate them. They certainly have the speed to beat us,” said Petersen. “My main goal was to be as quick as I could without having a rail in the process.”

Coyne followed Petersen and the winning time came down to thousandths of a second. She and Lazaro were clear in 35.77 seconds.

“I couldn’t have been happier with the results – Jared and I joked earlier in the week about being first and second in the grand prix and it happened!” said Coyne with a laugh. “[Lazaro] is a machine. He doesn’t care what’s going on around him – he’s a pro and he always does his job.”

Fenney and MTM Centano were last to go in the jump-off, but picked up four faults at the third fence to finish fifth. Silitch was fourth with Vanita and Fenney was third aboard MTM Timon.

Petersen and Titus 2:11 experienced a wildly successful circuit at HITS Ocala this winter with four grand prix wins. “He can do anything I want on him,” said Petersen of his nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding.  “If I want to leave out a stride or add two, he’s always in my hand.”

After their success in Ocala, Petersen has aimed Titus 2:11 towards their very first Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix appearance and currently sits in the top 10 of the Preliminary Rider Rankings. Coyne is also considering joining Petersen with Lazaro, who was fourth in the 2012 Pfizer Million with Derek Petersen aboard. “He has the mileage and if we keep consistent, it’s a definite goal,” she said.

Sunday capped the first of two weeks of showing at HITS Culpeper, before all attention turns east for HITS Championship weekend and HITS Saugerties September 6-8, 2013.

©ESI Photography
Jared Petersen and Titus 2:11 on their way to a win in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Culpeper.

©ESI Photography
Asia Manning of HITS and Derek Petersen join Jared Petersen as he and Titus 2:11 accept top honors after their win in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Culpeper.

$15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix
Manuel Torres of Leesburg, Virginia piloted Fidelina, owned by Andrea Torres Guerriero to a win in the $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix on Friday. Tracy Fenney swept second and third with MTM Timon and MTM Centano, respectively. Jared Petersen was fourth with Titus 2:11 and Andrea Torres Guerreiro of Waterford, Virginia rode Santa Catalina Farm’s Emme Du Chateau.

Brook Ledge Horse Transportation presents weekly jumper classes at HITS Culpeper. Aside from the winner’s purse, Brook Ledge Open Jumper riders also compete for the Brook Ledge Rider Bonus. The award, given at the conclusion of the circuit, includes a $1,500 shipping credit for the rider who accumulates the most points in those classes throughout the HITS Culpeper circuit.

 
©ESI Photography
Manuel Torres and Fidelina on course in the $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix.

About Zoetis
Zoetis (zō-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on a 60-year history as the animal health business of Pfizer, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, with a focus on both farm and companion animals. The company generated annual revenues of $4.3 billion in 2012. It has more than 9,300 employees worldwide and a local presence in approximately 70 countries, including 29 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries. Its products serve veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals in 120 countries. For more information on the company, visit www.zoetis.com.

$40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis
 

Place	Horse	Owner	Rider	Prize $	Rnd. 1 Faults	J-O Faults	J-O Time
1	Titus 2:11	Derek Petersen	Jared Petersen	$12,000	0	0	35.70
2	Lazaro	Jordan Coyne	Jordan Coyne	$8,800	0	0	35.77
3	MTM Timon	MTM Farm	Tracy Fenney	$5,200	0	4	35.25
4	Vanita	Gaston Family	Ian Silitch	$3,200	0	4	36.38
5	MTM Centano	MTM Farm	Tracy Fenney	$2,400	0	4	36.78
6	Air Force One	Kama Godek	Kama Godek	$2,000	4	-	-
7	HH Dauphin	Woodrun	Laura Linback	$1,600	4	-	-
8	Krake Ask	Henrik Gundersen	Henrik Gundersen	$1,200	4	-	-
9	Varom	73 West Group	Angel Karolyi	$1,200	4	-	-
10	Moonraker	Gavin Moylan Stables	Gavin Moylan	$800	4	-	-
11	Amigo	Hollow Creek Farm	Angel Karolyi	$800	6	-	-
12	Whittaker MVNZ	Woodrun	Laura Linback	$800	8	-	-