(C) ESI PHOTOGRAPHY. Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20.
CULPEPER, VA (August 18, 2015) Show jumping competition returned to HITS Commonwealth Park this past week for HITS Culpeper Winston National. Abigail McArdle, of St. Charles, Illinois, aboard David McArdle’s Cosma 20, got down to business in no time, taking home first in Friday’s $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix. In a first round field of 24, McArdle cleared the course in a time of 69.053 to become one of 12 entries moving on to a jump-off. Entering the ring eleventh, with six other clear rounds ahead of them, McArdle and her mount sailed to the top spot with a clean round in a time of 29.841.
Second place was awarded to Adam Prudent on Vasco, owned by Plain Bay Sales. Hayley Waters and Fine Fleur, owned by Chuck and Dana Waters, followed in third place, while McArdle and her second entry, Topaze Blue, owned by Katie Prudent, finished behind them in fourth. The top five was completed by Daniel Damen and Seth Vallhonrart’s Bahrain 8.
$10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic
Jumpers continued to shine throughout the weekend and Sunday’s $10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic was no exception. A qualifying class for the $250,000 Vetera ® XP Vaccines Jr/A-O Jumper Prix during the HITS Championship later this summer, the High Classic belonged to Lucy Matz, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Cardella, owned by Dorothy Matz. First in the order of five jump-off entries, Matz set the bar high when she cleared the course in a quick 30.056, which resulted in a first place finish, a full two seconds faster than the runner-up, Hayley Waters and Rio Cachet, owned by Chuck and Dana Waters.
Alden Moylan with her own Pimpernel received third place honors, and Melissa Rudershausen on her own Ugolin Du Mont finished in fourth. Fifth place went to Classified piloted by owner Anna Dryden.
$40,000 HITS Grand Prix
Dorothy Douglas, of Flower Mound, Texas, and MTM Farm’s S & L Elite wrapped up the weekend on a high note winning the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix on Sunday. Douglas set the tone for the day as the first to enter the ring and the first of five competitors to go clear over the 16 effort round one course designed by Marin Zevedo. Douglas continued to shine as she led off round two with a crisp, clean ride clocking in at 36.077. Ian Silitch and Cordovo, owned by Gaston Family Investments LLC, were next in the order but four faults mid-course, and a time of 36.731, would keep Douglas on top for now. Ready to chase the clock and the blue ribbon, Noel Fauntleroy and her own Cabras flew through the abbreviated course in a time of 37.269 ultimately securing second place, bumping Silitch to third.
A victim of four faults, and a time of 37.279, Anna Dryden rode her own Petrushka III to fourth place, and Daniel Damen aboard Chuck and Dana Waters’ Quintus 66 had two rails resulting in eight faults, with a time of 38.649 and fifth place.
$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
Samantha Schaefer rode her own Classified to a $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix win on Saturday with impressive scores of 89 and 91. Schaefer left round one in the top spot and her anchor position in the second round allowed her to keep a close watch on her competition. Cruising through the course, she remained the favorite with a total score of 180 to secure the blue ribbon and a $1,500 check.
Tracey Fenney and MTM Nestle, owned by MTM Farm, placed second with scores of 85 and 85, followed by Schaefer on her own second entry of the day, Hashtag, with scores of 84 and 84.5. Spirit, owned by ES Equine Broker, led Emily Simon to scores of 83.5 and 82.5 to claim the fourth place spot, just ahead of Winn Alden and Cindy Bohn’s Calipo 39 in fifth with scores of 81 and 84.
$1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix
Poetic Justis, piloted by owner Brook Cole, of Rockville, Virginia, went home a winner on Saturday after claiming the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix with scores of 83 and 80, for a grand total of 163. Going into round two the pair was second on the leader-board, trailing by just one point, so the top spot was still anybody’s game. The final round was a challenge for some who received scores in the low 70s, but Cole, who went eighth, made the course look like a breeze, finishing a full two points higher than second place finisher Kathryn Maginnis aboard City Smarts, owned by David Di Pietro, who received scores of 78 and 83.
With scores of 72 and 80, Jennifer Quigley and Jillian Gillbride’s Unanimous placed third, while fourth place went to Linda Gordon and her own Qui-Tam with scores of 76 and 74 and fifth went to Sidney Jefferson and her own Socialite with scores of 84 and 65.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit HitsShows.com. Stay connected with HITS: join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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