(C) ESI Photography. Manuel Torres and Christofolini H.

Ocala, FL (January 29, 2016): The HITS Ocala Winter Circuit continued with the $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome on Wednesday, January 27, and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Thursday, January 28.

$2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome
Jumpers attacked the 1.40-meter course set by course designer, Oscar Soberon of Dallas, Texas, for the $2500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome in Week II of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit. Manuel Torres, of Waterford, Virginia, riding Christofolini H, owned by Andrea Torres Guerreiro, was the first of eleven riders to jump the first round clean. He set the course on fire in the jump-off with a time of 35.784 seconds. Matthias Hollberg of Middleburg, Virginia and Aletta, owned by Olympic Dreams LLC, was second-place in 35.921 seconds, and speedster Lisa Goldman of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, on her own Hindsight, was third in 37.011.

The 13-effort course got the better of the first five to attempt it, with seven different fences collecting faults. As the first to attempt the jump-off, Torres took no prisoners with a furious pace, leaving out a stride in the bending line from the narrow at to the combination, setting the Great American Time to Beat at 35.784 seconds.

Next to achieve a double-clear was Goldman on Hindsight. The grey jumped so high that his time in the air cost him valuable seconds and he completed the shortened course in 37.011 to finish third.

Four more were able to go double-clear, including David Beisel of Goshen, Ohio, riding Redfield Farm’s Alastar, the first of his four rides, finishing in fifth place. Hollberg and Aletta flew to the finish line but were not able to catch Torres, finishing second in 35.921 seconds.

Mattias Tromp of North Salem, New York jumped a tidy double-clear on Bloom Z, owned by Beyaert Farm Inc., to finish fourth in 38.093. Harold Chopping from Southern Pines, North Carolina, riding Kendra Bullington’s chestnut Basje, was the final double-clear, finishing sixth in 38.839 seconds.

$25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix
Aaron Vale of Williston, Florida and Quidam’s Good Luck, owned by Troy Glaus, had more than just luck in Thursday’s $25,000 Smart Pak Grand Prix held in the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida. Vale skillfully chose to leave out strides on the shortened course and in doing so, he prevailed over Lisa Goldman of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois on Morocco by more than a full second, and by more than 3 seconds over third-place finisher Brandie Holloway from Topeka, Kansas and Lucky Strike, owned by Hays Investment Corp.

Twenty-two participants jumped for a chance at the winner’s share of prize money over a course set at 1.50 meters by Mexico native course designer, Oscar Soberon. Six horses had fault-free first rounds, starting off with Goldman and Morocco, the winner of last Sunday’s $50,000 Tuffrider/Equine Couture Grand Prix.

Ten more tried, but failed to negotiate the track which crisscrossed the ring and featured a triple combination across the center. Next to go clear were Holloway and Lucky Strike. Last week’s SmartPak winner Catungee, owned and ridden by Christophe Schroder, from Andersonville, Tennessee, followed with another clear.

Goldman returned on her second mount, Rocs to Riches, to go clean and to make it four for the jump-off. Marilyn Little of Frederick, Maryland, team and individual Gold Medalist in Three Day Eventing at the 2015 Pan Am Games, made it five, riding Raylyn Farms’ Corona 93, and Vale and Quidam’s Good Luck, last to go in the first round, made it six.

First to return to the jump-off was Goldman and Morocco. Goldman chose to do eight strides up the first line so she could turn a dime to fence 3 and took an extra pull on the reins at the last fence to garner a clean round in 37.085 seconds. The Great American Time to Beat held up as Holloway and Lucky Strike followed.

Choosing to leave out a stride in the first line, Holloway looked like she might get it done, but she lost time in the turn after the second fence and stopped the clock in a fault-free 39.327 seconds for third. Schroeder and Goldman both chose to do the seven strides up the first line and each had four faults at the following vertical with Rocs to Riches clocking in at 39.366 seconds to finish fifth, and Catungee in 41.506 seconds to finish sixth. Little and Corona 93 were clear just behind Holloway’s time to finish fourth in 39.551 seconds.

Returning last to the jump-off, Vale knew just what he needed to do.

“This course is really suited to my horse; I went down in seven strides to the first line, and caught a really short turn back to the vertical, which made the seven to the combination a little wide, but it really kept the momentum going,” said Vale. “Of course it was just a gallop to the last – I really liked the course. It had a couple of odd shaped lines in it which made it so that not everyone was clean. My other two horses didn’t make the jump-off but jumped really well. I thought when I walked the course that my horse would have a good chance to win and I stayed out of his way, so he won.”

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