Jumping: Thermal: HITS: Andre Thieme Speeds to the Top in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Ocala for his Second Consecutive Win in Five Days

© ESI Photography.
Andre Thieme of Germany and Uvalier flying high on Olaf Petersen, Jr.'s course for the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Post Time Farm.

OCALA, FL (March 18, 2011)--It seems the luck of the Irish was with German High-Performance rider Andre Thieme yesterday when he piloted his own Uvalier to a blazingly fast finish in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The win marks his third of the season and the second in five days for Thieme who, just last Sunday, rode Seth Vallhonrat's Coco 135 to an exciting victory in the $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

Jumping: HITS: Thermal: I Love Lucy! Lucy Davis and Nemo 119 win the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
Lucy Davis and Nemo 119 on course in the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

THERMAL, CA (March 14, 2011)—Lucy Davis and Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119 scored the crown jewel of the 2011 HITS Desert Circuit when they captured the top placing in the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, to conclude six weeks of world-class show jumping at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

Jumping: Thermal: Hits: Lucy Davis Wins Her Third Grand Prix in Seven Days to Kick Off Horsepower Weekend at the HITS Desert Circuit

© Flying Horse Photography.
Lucy Daivis and Old Oak Farm's Hannah capture the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health at HITS Thermal.

Thermal, CA (March 11, 2011)—Horsepower Weekend at the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California shifted into high gear on Friday afternoon when Lucy Davis rode Old Oak Farm’s Hannah to the top placing in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

Hunters: Thermal: Hits: John French and Cruise Capture the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
John French and Cruise in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Thermal.

THERMAL, CA (March 6, 2011)--John French (Woodside, California) capped off a busy afternoon on Sunday when he captured the top prize in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix aboard Jessica Singer’s Cruise to close out Desert Circuit V at HITS Thermal.

Jumping: Thermal: Hits: Rising Star Lucy Davis and Nemo 199 win the $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
Lucy Davis and Nemo 119 on course in Saturday's $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2011

THERMAL, CA (March 6, 2011)—Lucy Davis, one of the youngest Grand Prix riders on the HITS winter circuit, captured her biggest win of the season when she won Saturday night’s $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119 to highlight Desert Circuit V at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

Hunters: Ladies Reign in Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Thermal, Ocala, and Arizona as Winter Show Season Heads into Final Weeks

© Flying Horse Photography.
Hope Glynn and Sabrina Hellman's Woodstock in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Thermal.

SAUGERTIES, NY (March 2, 2011)--The Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final is the talk of the town this season and its key to qualifying, the Devoucoux Hunter Prix, continues to be one of the most popular offerings at the HITS Winter Circuits in Ocala, Florida, Thermal, California, and Tucson, Arizona. Never before has a purse of this magnitude been offered for hunters, and never before have so many talented riders at all levels of their careers had the opportunity to aspire to such a lofty goal.

Jumping: Sunday Special! HITS Winter Circuits in Ocala, Arizona and Thermal Produce Grand Prix Champs from Coast to Coast

© ESI Photography.
Manuel Torres and Chambacunero on course in the $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

Ocala, Florida - $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health
On Sunday, daybreak in Ocala saw a dense fog lift to reveal another glorious day with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 80s at HITS Post Time Farm for the $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix,

Jumping: Thermal: HITS: Purina Power! Mark Watring and Green Sleeps Vioco Capture the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, Presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
Mark Watring and Green Sleeps Vioco capture the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal.

THERMAL, CA (February 28, 2011)--Puerto Rico’s Mark Watring and Horseworks Etc. Inc’s Green Sleeps Vioco secured their first Grand Prix triumph of the circuit when they scored the top prize in Saturday’s $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, in the indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park, in Thermal, California.

Last night’s triumph by Watring continued an impressive streak by the men competing at HITS Thermal as each Grand Prix has been won by a male Grand Prix rider thus far. The talented horse-and-rider combination was the top team out of the 31 starters to challenge International Course Designer Marina Azevedo’s (Sao Paulo, Brazil) first-round course and the four that advanced to the jump-off.

“He is a new horse for me,,” said Watring, of his horse. “We have been a great team so far. We are going to the Pan Am Games together and hopefully to the next Olympics in London.”

It took ten trips before the first round would produce a clear effort. Susan Hutchison (Temecula, California) broke the string when she made it all the way home without dropping any rails riding El Dorado 29’s Cantano. And for a time, it seemed like the enthusiastic crowd that watched the class, including the sold out Charles Owen VIP Club, would not get to see a jump-off. Watring (Thousand Oaks, California) and Green Sleeps Vioco quickly changed that outlook when they jumped clear in the 19th spot of the first round, bringing the crowd to its feet.

At the end of the first round, four horse-and-rider combinations would shoot it out for the blue ribbon and a first-place check for $15,000. “I thought four horses in the jump-off was a perfect number,” said Azevedo. “The course was challenging. I had some spots in there that needed to be ridden very steady and other places where the rider really needed to go for it.”

The jump-off featured two American riders, a Canadian and one from Puerto Rico giving the horse race over fences an International taste. First to go was Hutchison and Cantano 29 and they had a rail down in 36.38 seconds and finished the class in third place.

Watring was the next rider to attempt to go clean but failed to navigate the track successfully, crossing the timers with four faults in 35.32 seconds. Canada’s Michelle Vandal (Sanichton, British Columbia, Canada) and Divine Diva carefully tackled the course next, knowing a clear round would assure them no worse than a red ribbon. The talented team was clear heading to the last jump but dropped a rail in 40.77 seconds to eventually place fourth.

Rich Fellers and Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Flexible entered the ring in the last-to-ride spot as the clear-cut favorites to secure the blue ribbon. The pair already has three Grand Prix wins in their pocket this circuit, including a victory in Thursday’s $31,000 Strongid C 2X Welcome Classic, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and are sitting in third place in the U.S. West Coast League’s Standings for the FEI World Cup. It looked like lighting would strike one more time as they had the time but pulled the very last rail in a time of 35.68 seconds to finish in second place.

With his victory, Watring earned some valuable points in the race for the Platinum Performance Leading World Cup Rider Award. The top rider in the combined four FEI World Cup Qualifiers at HITS Thermal will receive a one-year supply of product, courtesy of Platinum Performance.

Action for the High-Performance riders at HITS Thermal continues today with the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to cap off Desert Circuit IV as Grand Prix riders continue to shoot it out for a spot in the second-annual Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix that will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York on Sunday September 11.

"I would love to be there if I qualify," added Watring. "I think I have the perfect horse for it."

© Flying Horse Photography.
HITS' Senior Vice President Tony Hitchcock, Rebecca Nunes Accounts Manager for Purina Mills, and Desert Feed Bag's Amber Knight and Gretchen Richards congratulate Mark Watring with a Jeroboam from Sonoma Cutrer, after winning the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal.

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Jumping: Thermal: HITS: Lamborghini of Newport Beach Revs Up the Desert Circuit with Title Sponsorship of $200,000 Grand Prix

© Flying Horse Photography.
Jill Henselwood and Bottom Line on course in the 2010 $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, at HITS Thermal.

THERMAL, CA (February 23, 2011)—HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that Lamborghini of Newport Beach, the only factory authorized Lamborghini dealer in all of Orange County, will once again be the title sponsor of the HITS Desert Circuit season finale $200,000 Grand Prix which takes place on Sunday, March 13 during Horsepower Weekend at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

HITS: Thermal: Ocala: HITS Ships 1,000 Additional Tent Stalls to Thermal to Accommodate High Demand for Second Half of Desert Circuit

© HITS Staff.
Members from the HITS Ocala grounds crew loading temporary stalls on a flatbed to ship to Thermal, California.

THERMAL, CA (February 18, 2011)—An outstanding start to the 2011 HITS Desert Circuit, combined with some absolutely fabulous weather in the Southern California desert, has made Thermal the talk of the winter circuits. In fact, demand for stalls at Thermal for the second half are so high, that yesterday HITS shipped an additional 1,000 tent stalls from its property in Ocala, Florida to the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California to accommodate the increased volume for the show.

Jumping: HITS: Thermal: Mexico’s Eduardo Menezes and Tomba Take Home the Win in the $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, Presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
Eduardo Menezes and Tomba on course in the $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
February 13, 2011

    
THERMAL, CA (February 13, 2011)—Eduardo Menezes rode his own Tomba to a triumph over some of the top equestrians in the world during Saturday's $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, in the indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.

Dressage: Thermal CDN: Scores

USEF Developing Horse Test - Warm Up

• 1. Kennedy, Heather - Don Dior - 55.000%

Prix St Georges

• 1. Wolff, Stephan - Ludwig - 73.947% 
• 2. Ahl-Eckhaus, Jackie - Something Else  - 66.842%
• 3. Clemons, Christina - Destino - 66.842%
• 4. Kennedy, Heather - Escada Magica - 66.316% 
• 5. Reilly, Michelle - Wysteria Giana  -  64.211% 
• 6. Stroh, Lindsey - Fadora - 62.368%
• 7. Vetsch, Cherie - Sandro Gold - 62.368%
• 8. Cannerelli, Jennifer - Mc Lean - 55.263%