Cara Raether and Lyonell Win HITS Ocala $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix

OCALA, Florida (March 5, 2015): The fourteen horses in a fast-paced jump-off in Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala led to four lead changes, out of which Cara Raether of North Palm Beach, Florida, riding Lyonell, owned by Trelawny Farm LLC, came out on top. Raether was the fourth to go clear in the jump-off and held on to her lead in 43.049 seconds for the hotly contested win.

In second place was Amanda Flint of Long Valley, New Jersey, riding the Coverboy Group’s Superbad, finishing in 43.338. Rounding out third was Jonathan McCrea of East Windsor, Connecticut, in 43.587 seconds on Aristoteles V, owned by Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables.

During the jump-off, the first to go clear was Dr. Fernando Cardenas of New Hill, North Carolina, riding his own Quincy Car, who stopped the clock at 45.427. His lead was short-lived as McCrea and Aristoteles V went one better, slicing off a fraction of a second. Flint, on Superbad, went even more quickly, and looked impossible to beat until Raether took her shot at the prize. Crossing the timers nearly three-tenths of a second faster, Raether relegated Flint to second place. Jared Petersen of Archer, Florida, riding Derek Petersen’s Titus 2:11, finished fourth with a time of 44.444, dropping Cardenas to fifth place.

After the class, Raether said, “I didn’t think Amanda could be beaten, but my horse has a big stride and I just went with the numbers. The courses have been great all week. They asked the right questions and you could really get going. Lyonell is 14-years-old and I’ve had him for eight years, so we know each other really well.”

Florencio Hernandez, of Mexico City, Mexico, designed the course.


Time change: Please note the Great American American $1 Million Grand Prix is now scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2015.

Tickets are on sale now! General Admission is $10, or enjoy all the benefits of Day VIP for $100. To order, go to OcalaTix.com (online service fee applies), visit the HITS Post Time Farm Horse Show Office or call the office at 352.867.0508.

 


(c) ESI Photography
Cara Raether and Lyonell, owned by Trelawny Farm LLC, placed first in the $25,000 SmartPark Grand Prix, held Thursday, March 5, 2015, at HITS Ocala.


(c) ESI Photography
Cara Raether and Lyonell, owned by Trelawny Farm LLC, won the blue in the $25,000 SmartPark Grand Prix, held Thursday, March 5, 2015, at HITS Ocala.

$25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix - HITS Ocala - Week VIII

Place Horse Owner Rider Prize Rd. 1 Faults JO Faults JO Time
1 Lyonell Trelawny Farm LLC Cara Raether $7,500 0 0 43.049
2 Superbad The Coverboy Group Amanda Flint $5,500 0 0 43.338
3 Aristoteles V Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables, Inc. Jonathan McCrea $3,250 0 0 43.587
4 Titus 2:11 Derek Petersen Jared Petersen $2,000 0 0 44.444
5 Quincy Car Dr. Fernando Cardenas Dr. Fernando Cardenas $1,500 0 0 45.427
6 Fleur Roosters Van Betz Iron Horse Farm Karina Aziz $1,250 0 0 50.086
7 Cooper Devin Ryan Devin Ryan $1,000 0 4 42.126
8 VDL Wittinger Amanda Flint Amanda Flint $750 0 4 44.097
9 Cassevel Hays Investment Corp. Hunter Holloway $750 0 4 45.237
10 FVF Sailor Man Fox View Farm Maryann Charles $500 0 4 45.330
11 Tamara 296 Brian Walker Brian Walker $500 0 4 46.491
12 Chacco's Goldy Iron Horse Farm Karina Aziz $500 0 4 48.018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Stephanie Collier and Finnegan Win Brook Ledge Open Welcome
 

Stephanie Collier from Westfield, Indiana, riding Danielle Brown’s Finnegan pulled off the win in Wednesday’s Brook Ledge Open Welcome by two-tenths of a second over second-place finisher Amy Millar of Perth, Ontario, riding AMMO Investment’s Heros.

Eight jumped clear in the first round. In the jump-off, three riders rode double-clear with Millar maintaining a three-second lead at 38.314 over eventual third-place finisher Jonathan McCrea of East Windsor, Connecticut, who rode Captain Jack and clocked in at 41.327. Millar's mark held up until Collier and Finnegan trotted into the ring. Finnegan rubbed a few rails, but left all of them in their cups to finish in 38.109 for the win.

Collier said of the 11-year-old Irish-bred Finnegan, “The girl [Brown] that owns him did the junior jumpers and when she went to school and didn’t have time for him, I was fortunate enough to get the ride. He hasn’t seen a lot of tracks like this. I thought the course was fantastic. It was one of those courses that was really active but not trappy.”

Hernandez also designed the Brook Ledge course.

Brook Ledge Open Welcome - HITS Ocala - Week VIII

Place Horse Owner Rider Prize Rd. 1 Faults JO Faults JO Time
1 Finnegan Danielle Brown Stefanie Collier $750 0 0 38.109
2 Heros AMMO Investments Amy Millar $450 0 0 38.314
3 Captain Jack Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables, Inc. Jonathan McCrea $300 0 0 41.327
4 Bogart K and L Par Three LLC Katia Manuel-Adams $250 0 4 40.487
5 Cescha M Les Ecuries de la Chaudiere Grace Long $200 0 4 42.247
6 Quitaire Badger Hill Farm LLC Grace Long $200 0 4 42.675
7 Canterbury Nevergreen Farm LLC Brian Feigus $175 0 8 39.961
8 Golden Gun Katherine Dewar Katherine Dewar $150 0 12 42.669

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



About SmartPak
SmartPak Equine was created in 1999 by riders and horse owners, for riders and horse owners. With experience in Hunter/Jumper, Equitation, Dressage, Polo and Reining, SmartPak’s founders have logged many miles in horse country. SmartPak’s mission is to provide a simplified approach to administering nutritional supplements and medications to horses across America. Embraced by riders of all disciplines, SmartPak offers a broad line of horse health, products, show apparel, tack, and equine pharmaceuticals through their catalogs and website.

About Brook Ledge
Brook Ledge and the people behind the name are committed to providing the most outstanding service in horse transportation. Whether your horses are champions or companions, they are equally important and will receive the highest care and attention. Brook Ledge has become synonymous with comfort, care and safety in horse transportation.


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 Desert Circuit  |  Thermal, CA  |  January 13 - March 15, 2015
HITS Ocala Winter Circuit    |  Ocala, FL  |  January 13 - March 23, 2015
HITS Arizona Winter Circuit  |  Tucson, AZ  |  January 28 - March 8, 2015
HITS Culpeper Show Series  |  Culpeper, VA  |  April / July / August / September
HITS Saugerties Show Series  |  Saugerties, NY  |  May-June / July-August / September
HITS Championship  |  Saugerties, NY  |  September 2-6, 2015
HITS Marshall & Sterling Insurance National Finals  |  September 9-13, 2015
National Sunshine Series  |  October 28 - November 8, 2015