The 2021 HITS Chicago Season has Concluded at Lamplight Equestrian Center!

Congratulations to all the Champions of HITS Chicago

It was another incredible year of competition at Lamplight Equestrian Center. The final week of the HITS Chicago season, the Lamplight Fall Classic, was host to USEF-Rated National Hunter/Jumper 4* competition that featured a $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, a $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby, the NCEA Junior Hunt Seat Medal Final - Midwest, the USHJA Zone 5 Horse of the Year Championships, and the Marshall & Sterling Insurance League Midwest Finals. Keep reading to catch up on the week's big winners!

Stephen Foran led the way in the $2,500 HITS Open Welcome on Wednesday aboard CASSIUS 74 in a time of 38.408.

2^nd Place: Tiffany Hammack & GHANA FS Z [38.624]
3^rd Place: Lisa Goldman-Smolen & GUDIRIS [40.349]

The week continued with the $5,000 1.35m Jumper Classic on Thursday where Shannon Sullivan and DOWNTOWN'S MAIN EVENT took home the blue ribbon with a time of 38.720

2^nd Place: Goldman-Smolen & GUDIRIS [39.928]
3^rd Place: Goldman-Smolen & NIKE [40.592]

Tiffany Hammack joined the winner's circle by securing the blue ribbon aboard GHANA FS Z in Friday's $10,000 HITS Open Jumper Prix. The pair went double-clear, with a jump-off time of 33.995.

2^nd Place: Goldman-Smolen & BENGTSSON VDL [36.08]
3^rd Place: Golman-Smolen & IVARO N [Retired]

After landing on podiums all week, Lisa Goldman-Smolen finally jumped to the top of the leaderboard in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix on Saturday. Riding NIKE, Goldman-Smolen completed the short course in an unbeatable time of 39.288

2^nd Place: Sullivan & DOWNTOWN'S MAIN EVENT [40.062]
3^rd Place: Goldman-Smolen & IVARO N [43.144]

JUMPER CLASSIC WINNERS

$750 Puddle Jumper Classic: Annita O'Connor & DOWNTOWN'S BELMONT

$1,500 M&S/NAL Child/Adult Jumper Classic: Stephanie Renguso & NORA B

$2,500 Chicago Equine/NAL Jr/A-O/AM Low Jumper Classic: Rebecca Gutstein & HARLEY DAVID

$5,000 Pyranha Jr/A-O/Am Medium Jumper Classic: Hanna Egan & VITTUS H.H.

Following the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix on Saturday, Hunters took the spotlight in the NCEA Junior Hunt Seat Medal Finals - Midwest. Riders compete over a first round course, and the top ten return for a flat phase. The top four riders after the flat phase then return to go head-to-head in the bracket phase of competition where they switch horses and compete in a semi-final bracket and a final bracket, much like NCAA equestrian competition. Taking home top honors was Isabelle Collister, who was joined in the final by Emma Gutstein. Rounding out the top four were Elianna Kirson in third and Grace O'Connell in fourth.

Ryan Sassmannshausen piloted ROSALITA to matching scores of 92 in the first and the second round of the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby on Friday. An impressive total score of 184 could not be matched by the field and was good for the win.

2^nd Place: Maggie Lawler & BLURRED LINES [162]
3^rd Place: Linda Radigan & AVELLINO Z [161.5]

HUNTER CLASSIC WINNERS

$1,000 CWD Jr/A-O Hunter Classic: Stephanie Harris & SPELLBOUND

$500 M&S/SmartPak/NAL Child/Adult Hunter Classic: Jennifer Baker & EDITORIAL

$250 M&S Child Hunter Classic - Pony: Kaila Burns & LANCELOT K

MARSHALL & STERLING INSURANCE LEAGUE MIDWEST FINALS

M&S Junior Medal Final:  Elianna Kirson
M&S Junior/Amateur Horsemanship Final:  Grace O'Connell
M&S/Pyranha Children's Medal Final - Horse:  Brooke Tegtmeyer
M&S Children's Medal Final - Pony:  Avery Roper Vandercar
M&S Dover Saddlery Adult Medal Final:  Emily Reuter
M&S 2'6" Children's/Adult Medal Final:  Melissa Gierman

$500 M&S Bit O' Straw Hunter Final:  Courtney Krass & DASPER
$1,000 M&S SmartPak Children's/Adult Hunter Final:  Amelia Sedrowicz & VALENTINO
$500 M&S Children's Hunter Pony Final:  Avery Roper Vandercar & ELLA ENCHANTED
$500 M&S Novice Children's/Adult Hunter Final:  Iris Perlioni & SO TRUE

$2,500 M&S Children's/Adult Jumper High Final:  Léane Audrey Helfer & COMPIS
$1,000 M&S Children's/Adult Jumper Low Final:  Greg St. George & LUIMOND
$1,000 M&S Modified Children's/Adult Jumper Final:  Hope Lisitza & CILLBHRID PIPPA

Join us back at Lamplight Equestrian Center for another great HITS Chicago Season in 2022! Stay up to date on information regarding the 2022 HITS Chicago Series and all of HITS Shows by following HITS Horse Shows on social media and at HITSShows.com!