OCALA, FL (January 24, 2011) – The Ocala January Classic came to an end on Sunday and was highlighted by the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and the $2,500 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, the first qualifiers of 2011 for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and the Diamond Mills $500,000 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final, respectively.
Andres Rodriguez of Boca Raton, Florida, and Andres Olivares’ Davinci took home the victory in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The class saw 33 starters take the field on a course designed by Jerry Dougherty of Bokeelia, Florida, that produced six clear rounds for the jump-off.
The first clear round of the class came early, when Paul Halpern of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and Amanda Weaver’s Sevastian K, second in the order, jumped clean. Two trips later, eventual winner Rodriguez and Davinci forced a jump-off with a clear effort of their own. The next 20 trips saw team after team fail to overcome the course with rails down across the field.