Ocala, FL – February 1, 2016 – The Ocala Winter Circuit continued this weekend as horses and riders competed for the blue ribbon in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix and the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix.
$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
Robert Lee and Cameron winning the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix. (C) ESI PHOTOGRAPHY
Hunters took to the ring to contend for victory in the second qualifying opportunity at the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit for the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix at the HITS Championship in September 2016.
The team to beat was Robert Lee from Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and Cameron, owned by Marianne Huss. They dominated the class with the highest score of the first round, 85, to take the lead. They kept a consistently high score of 84 in the second round for a total of 169, to take home the blue.
Texas native, Aaron Vale and Dress Balou, owned by Donald Stewart, scored a 79 in the first round but made an exciting comeback in round two. Vale and Dress Balou, winners of the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Finals, returned to the ring to score the highest score of the second round, 87, giving them a total of 166 for second-place.
Finishing third was Tracy Fenney and MTM Passport, owned by Cammy Turgon. The equestrian from Flower Mound, Texas, finished with a first-round score of 82 and a second round score of 83, finishing just behind Vale with a total of 165.
Fourth-place was awarded to Amanda Steege of Bedminster, New Jersey, and Jessica Tindley’s Calvary and Notorious, owned and ridden by Devon Mac Leod, rounded out the the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix in fifth-place.
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize | R.1 Score | R.2 Score | Total |
| 1 | Cameron | Marianne Huss | Robert Lee | $1,500 | 85 | 84 | 169 |
| 2 | Dress Balou | Donald Stewart | Aaron Vale | $1,000 | 79 | 87 | 166 |
| 3 | MTM Passport | Cammy Turgon | Tracy Fenney | $700 | 82 | 83 | 165 |
| 4 | Calvary | Jessica Tindley | Amanda Steege | $500 | 83 | 80 | 163 |
| 5 | Notorious | Devon Mac Leod | Devon Mac Leod | $400 | 80 | 82 | 162 |
| 6 | Casmir | Amy Jensen | Matt Martin | $350 | 82.5 | 78 | 160.5 |
| 7 | CWF Penelope | Jessica DiCampli | Matt Martin | $300 | 78 | 77 | 155 |
| 8 | My Alibi | Jamie Vincent | Matt Martin | $250 | 77 | 68 | 145 |
$1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix
Alexa Riccio and Premonition on their way to a $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix win. (C) ESI PHOTOGRAPHY
HITS Ocala’s second qualifying opportunity for the $250,000 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix Final at the HITS Championship in September 2016, kicked off on Saturday as riders and horses competed for a shot at the first-place title.
Alexa Riccio and Premonition, owned by Jay Mullen, claimed the blue in the two-round classic of 10 jumping efforts, by staying consistent throughout both rounds. The equestrian from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, scored a 79 in the first round, improving to an 84 in the second to win the class with a total of 163.
Finishing just behind Riccio was Jordan Cheneval of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and Toblerone, owned by Daniel White. Cheneval and Toblerone had the same second-round score of 84 but a first-round score of 77.5 put them in second-place with a total of 161.5.
Also in the ribbons was Paramount, owned and ridden by Amy Lloyd Thompson of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. They finished with the highest first-round score of 82 and a score of 77 in the second round for a total of 159 and the third-place prize.
Fourth-place went to Valiant, owned and ridden by Melissa Marshall of State College, Pennsylvania. Top five in the class finished with Rachael Hopkins riding US Marshall, owned by Kiki Hopkins, for fifth-place.
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize | R.1 Score | R.2 Score | Total |
| 1 | Premonition | Jay Mullen | Alexa Riccio | $450 | 79 | 84 | 163 |
| 2 | Toblerone | Daniel White | Jordan Cheneval | $300 | 77.5 | 84 | 161.5 |
| 3 | Paramount | Amy Lloyd Thompson | Amy Lloyd Thompson | $200 | 82 | 77 | 159 |
| 4 | Valiant | Melissa Marshall | Melissa Marshall | $150 | 78 | 80 | 158 |
| 5 | US Marshall | Kiki Hopkins | Rachael Hopkins | $125 | 69 | 83 | 152 |
| 6 | MTM Insider | MTM Farm | Allison Joyce | $100 | 73 | 78 | 151 |
| 7 | Zoe | Kristine D’Andrea | Kristine D’Andrea | $100 | 74 | 76 | 150 |
| 8 | First Light | Emily Miller | Emily Miller | $75 | 75.5 | 74 | 149.5 |
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 MortgageCall, in Thermal, California, the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida and Canadian Pacific $1 Million Grand Prix FEI CSI-5*, 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 and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Media should contact the HITS Media Team at 845.246.8833 or e-mail media_info@HitsShows.com.