CULPEPER, VA (August 20, 2012) – HITS is back in Virginia and Patty Stovel got things started in the Grand Prix ring this weekend with a win in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard her own Carigor Z. Nineteen horses took to Jerry Dougherty’s 13-obstacle course and six conquered it to move onto the jump-off.
The Bokeelia, Florida course designer built a technical course that presented an oxer-to-oxer double combination at fence five and a triple combination at fence 12, which boasted tall verticals to yet another large vertical at the final fence of the course.
“This course was very careful, but it fit the group of horses that showed up to jump it very well,” said Stovel.
After watching six rounds, three of which were clear, Stovel and her 11-year-old Argentinean gelding made it four and joined the jump-off. Stovel and Carigor Z have been together since she purchased the horse as a three-year-old.
“I brought him along slowly, but he has become quite good in the grand prix,” commented Stovel. “He has to learn every step he takes, but once he figures it out, he is very consistent.”
After two unsuccessful jump-off rounds, Laura Linback of Mundelin, Illinois delivered the first clear round and set the Great American Time to Beat at 46.22 seconds with Woodrun’s HH Dauphin. Stovel was hot on her heels and took the lead with a time of 41.68 seconds. Her win, however, was not secure yet. Regular blue ribbon winner Tracy Fenney and husband Michael McCormick, both of Flower Mound, Texas, were the final two to face the jump-off.
“It’s difficult to beat Tracy in a jump-off no matter what horse she’s on,” admitted Stovel.
Fenney and MTM Farm’s MTM Timon were well on their way to earning the win when Timon clipped a rail at the last fence and picked up four faults in the fasted time of the day – 40.80 seconds.
“I knew that I had to go as fast as I could and that’s what I did,” said Stovel. “I left the rest up to Tracy and put enough pressure on her that she took the last rail down.”
Linback held on to second-place while Fenney finished in third, the first of an MTM Farm triple play as McCormick was fourth in the irons of MTM Remington and Fenney guided MTM Genau to fifth.
$15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jump Prix
As a prelude to three top-five finishes for MTM Farm, Fenney and MTM Timon won Friday’s $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix to get things started at the Winston National. After a successful Grand Prix run during the July shows at HITS Culpeper, Ramiro Quintana of Wellington, Florida piloted Maverick Ventures, LLC’s Largo to second place. Fenney returned with MTM Genau in third and Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, Florida was fourth on his own Macoemba. Miranda Scott of Silver Spring, Maryland rounded out the top five in the irons of her own Quick Latinus.
This weekend’s Grand Prix was the first of five qualifying classes before the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix returns to HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York to highlight HITS Championship Weekend September 7-9. The Constitution Classic gets underway this week in Culpeper, Virginia before HITS returns to New York with two weeks of competition before Championship Weekend welcomes the world’s best equestrians to strut their stuff during the richest weekend in show jumping.
$40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize $ | Rd 1 Faults | JO Faults | JO Time |
| 1 | Carigor Z | Patty Stovel | Patty Stovel | $12,000 | 0 | 0 | 41.68 |
| 2 | HH Dauphin | Woodrun | Laura Linback | $8,800 | 0 | 0 | 46.22 |
| 3 | MTM Timon | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $5,200 | 0 | 4 | 40.80 |
| 4 | MTM Remington | MTM Farm | Michael McCormick | $3,200 | 0 | 4 | 45.95 |
| 5 | MTM Genau | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $2,400 | 0 | 8 | 44.80 |
| 6 | Air Force One | Kama Godek | Kama Godek | $2,000 | 0 | 12 | 43.66 |
| 7 | Largo | Maverick Ventures, LLC | Ramiro Quintana | $1,600 | 4 | – | – |
| 8 | Macoemba | Todd Minikus, Ltd. | Todd Minikus | $1,200 | 4 | – | – |
| 9 | Whittaker MVNZ | Woodrun | Laura Linback | $1,200 | 4 | – | – |
| 10 | Quipit L.F. | Quipit Group | Ragan Roberts | $800 | 4 | – | – |
| 11 | Quincy Car | Fernando Cardenas, Sr. | Dr. Fernando Cardenas | $800 | 4 | – | – |
| 12 | MTM Centano | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $800 | 4 | – | – |
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