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THERMAL, CA (February 1, 2008)—Mark Watring and his mount Sapphire negotiated the fastest double-clear round on international course designer Leopoldo Palacios' route to secure the blue ribbon in Thursday's $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Thermal.
Watring rides for Puerto Rico's National Team and won the individual Gold Medal at the 2003 Pan American Games aboard Sapphire. Watring has been in the irons aboard the 16-year-old for the last 10 years. In Thursday's featured class, he edged out 44 other pairs in the first round and nine mounts in the jump-off to secure $7,500 in prize money.
"Sapphire is part of the family," said Watring. "Anytime he is in the last-to-ride position I am confident that he will come through. He was fast and clean, and I am very fortunate to have such a great horse to help me grab the victory today."
Watring just arrived at HITS Thermal this week for DC II and was thoroughly impressed with the state-of-the-art facility. "It's awesome," he said. "Everything from the new jumps, the decorations and the covered arena make this a world-class place to show."
The first three pairs to go in the jump-off each had four faults, including Richard Spooner and Gerry the Grey, who kicked off the round. Spooner would eventually finish the day in third place. He has now placed in the top three during all three Grand Prix classes at HITS Thermal this year.
Twenty-year-old Katherine Bardis and Pariska 2 were next to go and also had one rail down to finish in sixth place.
Fellow young rider Bliss Heers and her mount GZS Cassira Z were third to go in the jump-off and dropped a single rail to finish in fourth place.
Joie Gatlin was next to go in the jump-off aboard her 16-year-old mount Suncal's King. The duo established the Great American Time to Beat at 40.182 with their clear round. The pair eventually ended up in second place.
"I thought I might be able to hold on but Sapphire is a speed demon," said Gatlin. "It was a fun class and I am very proud of my horse and am looking forward to the rest of the circuit."
"The improvements that HITS has made to this facility are huge," she added. "I am very thankful to the HITS staff for giving us a wonderful place to show in the winter. The covered ring is amazing and the Oasis Club could be the best thing ever!"
Jill Humphrey and Camelita were next to go in the jump-off. The pair had an unlucky rail down midway through the course to end up in seventh place. Benson Carroll and Santana followed and faced heartbreak at the final hurdle for a total of four faults, landing them in fifth place. Guillermo Obligado and Proficiat and Dan Silverstone and Ramira each had eight faults to finish in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
Finally, Watring entered the ring and navigated the course to perfection as he stopped the clocks in 39.275 to capture his first win of the circuit.
Show jumping at HITS Thermal continues all weekend and will feature two more Grand Prix classes. First on Friday, February 1 the first of four $50,000 Tourneau FEI World Cup Qualifiers, presented by Adequan takes center stage. All World Cup Qualifiers will be held in the new covered EquiBase™ Arena Systems Ring, which features new footing and a state-of-the-art matting system.
Finally, on Super Bowl Sunday some of the top equestrians in the world will vie for first place in the $125,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by EMO.
The weekend will also feature several fun out-of-ring activities. Before Friday's Grand Prix, a special Groom's Class will take place with $500 in prize money on the line for the unsung hero's of the horse show. Then on Saturday night, exhibitors are encouraged to
kick-off Super Bowl Weekend with an old-fashioned, chicken wing-eating contest. These are no ordinary chicken wings; world-renowned chef Ric Orlando will bring his smoking hot, "Purple Haze" wings to the party. Prizes will be awarded to the exhibitor who can eat the most wings.
The circuit will continue for one more week, followed by an off week, February 11-17. Then competition at HITS Thermal returns on Tuesday, February 19 for four consecutive weeks of shows and runs until Sunday, March 16 when the new Desert Circuit Championship will close out the season with 17 different championship classes, including the R.W. Mutch Equitation Classic and the first-ever $200,000 Invitational Grand Prix of the Desert.
HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with world-class hunter/jumper circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com
Media should contact Chris Mayone at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com
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Placing |
Horse |
Rider |
Owner |
Prize Money |
Rd 1 Faults |
JO Faults |
JO Time |
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Sapphire |
Mark Watring |
Mark Watring |
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Suncal's King |
Joie Gatlin |
Joie Gatlin |
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Gerry the Grey |
Richard Spooner |
S&B LLC |
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GZS Cassira Z |
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Bridgeside Farms |
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Santana |
Benson Carroll |
Betty Meyer |
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Pariska 2 |
Katherine Bardis |
S&B LLC |
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©Flying Horse Photography
Mark Watring and Sapphire win the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Thermal
©Flying Horse Photography
HITS' Awards Coordinator Wendy Metzger congratulates the winner of the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Thermal
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