Tracy Magness and Intenz Van HD Save Best for Last in $20,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Open Prix at HITS Culpeper

Culpeper, V.A. – July 16, 2023 – The final day of the Cavalier Classic at HITS Culpeper saw Tracy Magness and Intenz Van HD garner another blue during the $20,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Open Prix. Magness and her veteran partner of nearly a decade topped the eight-horse jump-off with a speedy double clear. Matthias Hollberg and Acorn scored second, finishing just 7/10ths of a second behind Magness, while the third-place award went to Danny Mahon and Firefly 41.

Tracy Magness and Intenz Van HD. Photo by: Alison Hartwell Photography

[Intenz Van HD] was great,” said Magness of her mare, affectionately known as “Candy.” “She’s 15 and I've had her since she was 8 years old. I know what's going to happen most of the time with her. She's very quick and careful. It doesn't always work out as well as today, but she's been with me so long that it's an advantage to know your horse that well.”

Jaime Morillo set a technical track for Sunday’s course that featured several rollbacks placed strategically throughout the course, a triple combination, a liverpool and a final bending line before the finish line. Eight advanced to the tiebreaker, where the top three horse and rider combinations produced fast fault-free efforts during the jump-off.

Matthias Hollberg and Acorn. Photo by: Alison Hartwell Photography

Hollberg and Acorn were the first to complete the short course without error, breaking the beam at 49.257 seconds. Mahon and Firefly 41 were second-to-last to go, and although the duo was quick on their feet, their time of 50.565 seconds was not fast enough to beat Hollberg and Acorn. Magness, who was the last rider in the jump-off, planned to play it safe after watching several riders before her knock rails, but she and Intenz Van HD were just fast enough to go to the top of the leaderboard.

Danny Mahon and Firefly 41. Photo by: Alison Hartwell Photography

“I kind of had an idea at that point of what to do,” observed Magness. “I thought, ‘I have a fast horse, so I can either go really fast or medium.’ And I think today I went medium-fast. I thought if I just rode my plan, made some nice turns and didn't leave out in the last line, I wouldn’t take any risks.”

The Baltimore native has been competing at the nearby Commonwealth Park since she was in Small Ponies and loves the facility. She has come to appreciate the jumping classes the facility offers since Maryland focuses more on Hunter classes.

“HITS Culpeper is not my hometown show, but it's as close as I could have to one,” concluded Magness. “So, I love it. I love seeing all the people. I think the first week was almost sold out, which was amazing. It's amazing to see all the improvements and I think it’s really important to see the growth!”

Tracy Magness and Intenz Van HD. Photo by: Alison Hartwell Photography

In August, riders will return to HITS Commonwealth Park for the Winst National and the Constitution Classic, scheduled for August 16 – 27, 2023. Each week will feature a $20,000 Open Prix and a $2,500 USHJA National Derby, in addition to a large variety of hunter and jumper classics for riders of all levels. For more information visit www.hitsshows.com.