SAUGERTIES, NY (July 22, 2012) – With a win in Saturday’s $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Saugerties, Ellen Toon and her own Invincible picked up their fifth qualifying class and are on their way to HITS Championship Weekend for their second appearance in the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.
“I was a little rusty coming into this class,” admitted Toon of South Salem, New York. “But, he [Invincible] is such a seasoned and enthusiastic competitor, he always makes me feel more confident. As soon as he picked up a canter in the ring, I knew we were going to have a good day.”
Saturday’s Devoucoux Hunter Prix took place in the newly debuted Outside Course at HITS-on-the-Hudson and featured a dynamic track built by Rian Beals of Saugerties, New York.
“Jumping off the bank was really nice and made for a fun first round,” said Toon. “The footing in this new ring gets better and better each week.”
Toon topped a field of 53 and boasted the high score of the day with an 88 in the second round. That, combined with her first round score of 84.75, gave her a total of 172.75 and the win. Toon and her 12-year-old Irish Warmblood have been together since the gelding was six and finished in the top ten of last year’s inaugural Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final.
“I am just super lucky with this horse. He was perfect,” said Toon with a smile.
The top 12 from the first round returned to ride for ribbons in the second, which revealed Laena Romond of Colchester, Vermont as the second-place finisher. She and Heritage Farm, Inc.’s Pioneer combined an 84.5 and an 86 for a total score of 170.5. She was followed by Maria Paglieri of Clinton, New Jersey in the irons of her own Snap Decision in third with an 84.85 and an 85 for an overall score of 169.5.
Melissa Feller of Lincoln Park, New Jersey aboard Miranda Scarpone’s Rosso Rossini earned a final score of 164 for fourth place. Rounding out the top five was David Oliynyk of Franklin, Massachusetts on Maria Moalli’s Cascor’s Splendor.
$1,500 HITS Hunter Prix
Kathryn Haefner of Hamburg, New York has won three of the four $1,500 HITS Hunter Prix that she has shown in this season. She clinched the hat trick Sunday when she piloted her own Bentley to a win in the first HITS $250,000 Hunter Prix Final qualifier of the summer weeks at HITS Saugerties. Haefner and her seven-year-old Warmblood gelding earned the top scores in both rounds with a pair of 83s for an overall winning score of 166.
With only one more HITS Hunter Prix to go before she’s qualified, Haefner is ecstatic about September’s big-ticket class.
“Bentley is my favorite out of all my horses and I can’t wait to ride him in the Final,” she said. “The course was great and he went really well.”
Following Haefner was Alanna Fischer of Montgomery, New York in second aboard Harper Hills’ Rio’s Reflection. She combined an 81 and an 82 for an overall score of 163. Finishing in third was Brendan Weiss of Southampton, Pennsylvania with a 77 in the first round and a 75 in the second for a total score of 152. He piloted Kathy Weiss’ Piedmont.
Rounding out the top five was Missiaen Jenkins of Flanders, New Jersey in fourth on her own Caro Z with an overall score of 151.5 and Cara Garito of Colts Neck, New Jersey aboard her own Abundance with a score of 151 for fifth.
Hunter competition and Championship Weekend qualifying will continue during the next two weeks of shows at HITS Saugerties before competition resumes in Culpeper, Virginia August 15-19 and 22-26. The action will then return to HITS-on-the-Hudson August 29. To view complete results from HITS-on-the-Hudson, visit the HITS Saugerties results page of HitsShows.com by clicking here.
About Devoucoux
Devoucoux, makers of fine French saddles, is proud to be the title sponsor of each and every qualifying Hunter Prix leading up to the phenomenal Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. The Devoucoux Hunter Prix will be a featured event at all HITS horse shows this season as riders from around the country set out to qualify for the second-annual Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final, which will take place September 8-9 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.
About Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern
Just 100 miles outside of New York City, nestled in the Village of Saugerties, Diamond Mills is a 30-room luxury hotel featuring stellar accommodations, fine dining at The Tavern and full-service events at a state-of-the art Special Events Center. Diamond Mills is a proud member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an unsurpassed collection of over 520 luxury hotels around the world. Saugerties’ newest luxury hotel is also the proud sponsor of the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, which will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson as part of the HITS Championship Weekend. For more information about Diamond Mills or the special VIP packages available to HITS-on-the-Hudson exhibitors, please visit DiamondMillsHotel.com or call 845.247.0700.
$5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize $ |
| 1 | Invincible | Ellen Toon | Ellen Toon | $1500 |
| 2 | Pioneer | Heritage Farm, Inc. | Laena Romond | $1000 |
| 3 | Snap Decision | Maria Paglieri | Maria Paglieri | $700 |
| 4 | Rosso Rossini | Miranda Scarpone | Melissa Feller | $500 |
| 5 | Cascor’s Splendor | Maria Moalli | David Oliynyk | $400 |
| 6 | Generous | Lori Gaudet | David Oliynyk | $350 |
| 7 | Claudio | Volo Farm, Inc. | Hannah Lavin | $300 |
| 8 | Cadeau | Alexandra Carlton | Alexandra Carlton | $250 |
$1,500 HITS Hunter Prix
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize $ |
| 1 | Bentley | Kathryn Haefner | Kathryn Haefner | $450 |
| 2 | Rio’s Reflection | Harper Hills | Alanna Fischer | $300 |
| 3 | Piedmont | Kathy Weiss | Brendan Weiss | $200 |
| 4 | Caro Z | Missiaen Jenkins | Missiaen Jenkins | $150 |
| 5 | Abundance | Cara Garito | Cara Garito | $125 |
| 6 | Redford | Tracie Schoelen | Tracie Schoelen | $100 |
| 7 | Fortissimo | Oceanbound Stables | Madison Newman | $100 |
| 8 | Dinner Jacket | Jessica Rubin | Jessica Rubin | $75 |
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