Thermal, CA (January 30, 2016): The $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix and the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix continued into Week II of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California, on Friday, January 29.
$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix Hunter riders took to the 13-effort course in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, a qualifying opportunity of the Thermal Desert Circuit for the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix at the HITS Championship in September 2016. Riders and their mounts navigated the two-round classic and the top 15 returned for the second round to compete for a piece of the prize purse.
Nick Haness and Bliss, owned by Enchantment Farm, LLC, took home the blue on Friday. The crowd clapped and cheered as the equestrian from San Clemente, California, and his flashy mount finished the second round to claim the lead; they scored a consistent 87 in both rounds to garner the victory.
Second-place went to this week’s Charles Owen Leading Hunter Rider, John French of Pleasanton, California, and Maritime, owned by Elizabeth Gabler. French and Maritime had the highest-scoring first round with a score of 88, but a score of 85 in the second round put their total just behind Haness and Bliss by one point.
Also in the ribbons was Desert Circuit I $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix winner, Hope Glynn of Petaluma, California, and Full Circle, owned by Karen Trione. They had a first-round score of 86.5 and a second- round score of 86 to secure third-place. Glynn also sealed the top five with Corriendo Tau, also owned by Karen Trione, for fifth-place with scores of 85.5 and 85, respectively.
Hugh Mutch and Balios Z, owned by Sloane Lindemann-Barnett, took fourth-place with a first round score of 85, improving to 86.5 in the second.
Place |
Horse |
Owner |
Rider |
Prize |
R.1 Score |
R.2 Score |
Total |
1 |
Bliss |
Enchantment Farm LLC |
Nick Haness |
$1,500 |
87 |
87 |
174 |
2 |
Maritime |
Elizabeth Gabler |
John French |
$1,000 |
88 |
85 |
173 |
3 |
Full Circle |
Karen Trione |
Hope Glynn |
$700 |
86.5 |
86 |
172.5 |
4 |
Balios Z |
Sloan Lindemann-Barnett |
Hugh Mutch |
$500 |
85 |
86.5 |
171.5 |
5 |
Corriendo Tau |
Karen Trione |
Hope Glynn |
$400 |
85.5 |
85 |
170.5 |
6 |
Delilah |
Ilene Kurtzman |
Illene Kurtzman |
$325 |
80 |
87 |
167 |
7 |
Fortune |
Lesley Bulechek |
Nina Vogel |
$300 |
82 |
84 |
166 |
8 |
Contendro's Dream |
Debbie jamsa |
Tommi Clark |
$275 |
81.5 |
83 |
164.5 |