CULPEPER, VA (August 27, 2012) – It all came down to speed in Sunday’s $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, as Tracy Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas and MTM Farm’s MTM Timon rode to their second victory during the Constitution Classic. Five of the seven pairs who advanced to the second round went double clear and looked to the clock to reveal the final results.
Douglas Russell of Ocala, Florida set the track with 15 jumping efforts and saw the majority of faults at the double combination at fence five, and the triple combination at the end of the course at fence 11.
“I never think a course looks easy when I walk it,” said Fenney. “But this course turned out to be really nice.”
Coming off a successful week at HITS Culpeper, Tracy Magness of Hughsville, Maryland was first to ride and posted the first clear round aboard Mr. & Mrs. John Bartko’s Tarco Van Ter Moude. She and Tarco Van Ter Moude also rode to the blue in Thursday’s Level 7 Jumper class. Ragan Roberts of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania guaranteed a jump-off with a clear round seven trips later on Quipit Group’s Quipit L.F. They were eventually joined by five more horses, two of which had Fenney in saddle.
Magness returned in the jump-off to set the Great American Time To Beat at 37.56 seconds. She was quickly bumped to second, however, when Fenney posted a time of 34.78 seconds in the irons of MTM Farm’s MTM Centano. The time was again made tighter by Megan Edrick of Agoura, California on Procedures, Inc’s Cadence. They rode the jump-off course in 33.54 seconds to steal the lead. Edrick remained in the top spot until Fenney returned last in the jump-off ready to do what she does best – use MTM Timon’s speed. She and MTM Timon completed the course in 33.02 seconds for the win.
“I didn’t have any choice but to go as fast as I could and, as usual, [MTM] Timon jumped around really nicely,” said Fenney of her 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding.
Edrick and Cadence were second, followed by Fenney aboard MTM Centano in third. Ramiro Quintana of Wellington, Florida finished in fourth on Maverick Ventures, LLC’s Largo and Magness and Tarco Van Ter Moude rounded out the top five.
$15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix
On Friday, Fenney and MTM Timon tuned up for their Sunday Grand Prix win with a first-place finish in the $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix. Fenney not only topped 22 competitors aboard MTM Timon, but also picked up an additional top ten finish aboard MTM Farm’s MTM Genau. Magness finished second in the irons of Tarco Van Ter Moude, while Quintana and Largo were third. Matt Williams of Wellington, Florida rode to fourth and fifth. He picked up the white ribbon aboard Samantha Tuerk’s What Me VD Mangelaar and rounded out the top five on Sergio Rodrigues’ Wup L.
On Their Way…
Riders and horses alike have begun to hit their peaks before they put their hard work to the test in the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix as part of HITS Championship Weekend September 7-9, 2012. Show jumping action at HITS now moves north to Saugerties for two consecutive weeks of competition leading to the highly anticipated Championship Weekend, featuring the third-annual Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix Sunday, September 9. Fenney and her professional counterparts will have two more opportunities to bank qualifying classes and prize money for the Pfizer Million Rider Rankings in Saugerties with this week’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, on Friday, followed by the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, on Sunday afternoon.
On September 9, Fenney will have her work cut out for her with 44 other riders in the lineup all hungry for the same thing – that first place check for $350,000. With more than $90,000 in prize money won so far this year on her leading horse MTM Centano she will have the advantage of going last, an edge that she hopes to make the most out of. “Sometimes it’s easier not to be last because you don’t have all that time to think,” she said. “I’m just going to stay focused and hopefully the momentum that’s gotten us here will continue and carry us through right up to the very end.”
Competition will return to Culpeper Wednesday, September 26 for the Culpeper Finals which will mark the end of the 2012 HITS Show Season. In addition to offering a full week of regular classes and the first Grand Prix qualifier for the 2013 Pfizer Million, the Culpeper Finals will also feature a $10,000 Pre-Green Hunter Classic, a $15,000 Junior Amateur-Owner Low Classic and a $25,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic. Entries for the Culpeper Finals close on Wednesday, August 29.
$40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health
| Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize $ | Rd 1 Faults | JO Faults | JO Time |
| 1 | MTM Timon | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $12,000 | 0 | 0 | 33.02 |
| 2 | Cadence | Procedures, Inc. | Megan Edrick | $8,800 | 0 | 0 | 33.54 |
| 3 | MTM Centano | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $5,200 | 0 | 0 | 34.78 |
| 4 | Largo | Maverick Ventures, LLC | Ramiro Quintana | $3,200 | 0 | 0 | 35.63 |
| 5 | Tarco Van Ter Moude | Mr. & Mrs. John Barkto | Tracy Magness | $2,400 | 0 | 0 | 37.56 |
| 6 | Whittaker MVNZ | Woodrun | Laura Linback | $2,000 | 0 | 4 | 34.78 |
| 7 | Quipit L.F. | Quipit Group | Ragan Roberts | $1,600 | 0 | VW | – |
| 8 | Carigor Z | Patty Stovel | Patty Stovel | $1,200 | 4 | – | – |
| 9 | No Fear | Bar X Ranch, LLC | Navona Gallegos | $1,200 | 4 | – | – |
| 10 | Envy | Sulu Rose-Reed | Sulu Rose-Reed | $800 | 4 | – | – |
| 11 | Watch Me VD Mangelaar | Samantha Tuerk | Samantha Tuerk | $800 | 4 | – | – |
| 12 | MTM Genau | MTM Farm | Tracy Fenney | $800 | 4 | – | – |
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