The final week of the 2025 HITS Del Mar Show Series, the HITS Del Mar Summer Classic II, marked the second consecutive week of FEI CSI2* competition at the HITS Del Mar venue in Del Mar, California. While the series has featured elite hunter, jumper, and equitation competition all season long, the $31,020 Alliant Private Client CSI2* Speed Cup on Thursday, August 28, was the opener for what promises to be a thrilling grand finale from start to finish, culminating in Saturday’s $90,000 CSI2* Grand Prix of Del Mar. For the second week in a row, it was Simon Schröeder (GER) that scored the first coveted win, this time riding Icarus VDL.
Renowned Brazilian course designer Marina Azevedo had the tough task of setting the course for the impressive start list, with a truly international field of 39 horse-and-rider combinations representing eight nations, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico, and, of course, the United States. First to go, Schroëder and Icarus VDL set the standard, stopping the clock clear in 69.69 seconds. Try as they might, no one else could catch the time, and it was Schroëder that started first and finished first, running away with the win.
“I won it again!” exclaimed Schroëder after his repeat result. “It’s an unbelievable feeling, and that is exactly what our team tries to prove. We try to build our team so that we have not just one horse, but so we can have multiple good, successful horses at Durango Farms and Schroëder Sport Horses.
“Icarus VDL is a totally different type of horse from Charlie Red Wine CS that I won with last week,” he continued of the 12-year-old KWPN stallion owned by Carlos Molina. “He’s more on the hot side. I got him from David Bustillos, my coach, and rider Arturo Parada Vallejo. They gave me the opportunity to ride this fabulous, fast horse. He’s amazing.”
Schroëder, a familiar face at the HITS Del Mar Horsepark, has had yet another tremendous circuit, now adding the latest win in the $31,020 Alliant Private Client CSI2* Speed Cup to his growing list of accolades.
“It’s quite sad the series is almost over,” he expressed. “This grass field is really amazing; I love the grass, and you can’t beat the facility location by the beach. I’m sad to see the season go, but I’m happy to come back next year! A big ‘thank you’ to the HITS team for doing everything for us.”
Karl Cook (USA) and his Olympic-team-silver-medal-winning partner Caracole de la Roque, the 12-year-old Selle Français mare (Zandor Z x Kannan GFE) owned by Signe Ostby, came the closest to Schroëder’s time, achieving a fault-free effort in 70.45 seconds for second-place honors. Completing the top three in 71.88 seconds was Elisa Broz and Vivoucenta PS, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare (Vivant x Chacco-Blue) owned by Hidalgo LLC.
International show jumping competition continues Friday, August 29, with the $31,020 CSI2* Winning Round, and reaches an exciting conclusion on Saturday, August 30, with the $90,000 CSI2* Grand Prix of Del Mar. National hunter, jumper, and equitation classes take place through Sunday, August 31. For complete results, please visit www.showmanagementsystem.com.
