Top show jumping competition returned to the newly-renovated HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida, on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, as action got underway during the Holiday Classic. With classes for exhibitors of all levels, the week offered a variety of jumper, equitation, and hunter divisions, as well as an extra-special treat for hunter riders in the form of a WCHR designation. In the jumper arenas, anticipation built throughout the week until it culminated in a blazing win for local hero Tracy Fenney and Can Talk to Me TD MTM in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix on Saturday, December 14.
With 18 duos prepared to give it their best, course designer Oscar Soberon (USA) set a challenging but appropriate track to welcome the athletes back to grand prix competition in the main event of the week. Fenney was one of seven top combinations that conquered the first round’s obstacles fault-free to qualify for the jump-off, among the likes of fellow U.S. rider Callan Solem, and New Zealand Olympian Sharn Wordley. With several notable challengers behind her, Fenney fiercely fought for the title with an unbeatable round in 37.20 seconds aboard the MTM Farm’s eight-year-old Holsteiner mare (Catoki x Acorado).
“In the jump off, I watched another rider who went really fast and beat my other horse by about a second and a half,” detailed Fenney. “I knew I needed to burn it a little bit. I also knew that I had three or four really fast riders behind me too. My mare was really great everywhere, from her angles to her turns.”
Like many of Ocala’s equestrian community, Fenney and her MTM Farm team are now full-time residents — a move she states has been a game changer for the business, allowing her to see the evolution of the neighborhood first-hand.
“We actually love being in Ocala, and we’re so lucky to not have to travel like we used to,” she admitted. “It’s just so nice to be able to sleep in your own bed, and we built a house — we love it. This whole place has just boomed, and it’s so nice to have the facility that we have here.”
After winning Wednesday’s $2,500 Adequan Open Welcome Stake, Kirk Webby (NZL) and Cameron 38, Jamie Stryker’s 10-year-old Mecklenburg gelding (Cellestial x Lord Kemm), maintained a consistent performance through the end of the week, this time finishing just off the pace in 37.76 seconds for the second-place title to wrap up the main event. Already a winner in Thursday’s $10,000 Alliant Private Client Cup, Ocala native Jared Petersen rounded out the top three in 37.85 seconds with Kawir MS, Jordan Petersen’s eight-year-old Belgian Sporthorse gelding by Comme Il Faut.
Kirk Webby and Cameron 38 Dominate in $2,500 Adequan Open Welcome Stake
Webby and Cameron 38’s win in the $2,500 Adequan Open Welcome Stake set the stage for the week in the Grand Prix Ring. The combination were one of only two pairs to produce a fault-free first round effort and advance to a jump-off, but Webby kept all the fences up once again to take home the title over eventual second-place finishers Megan Wexler and Doo-Wop. With a single unfortunate rail in the first round, Solem and Horion de Libersart rounded out the top three.
Jared Petersen and Kawir MS Soar to the Win in the $10,000 Alliant Private Client Cup
The $10,000 Alliant Private Client Cup was the featured event on Thursday, with 18 horse-and-rider combinations aiming for the top prize. Five entries managed to move on to the short course, but only two athletes posted a double-clear performance. First and second place was a matter of several seconds difference between the husband-and-wife team of Jordan and Jared Petersen. Ultimately, it was Jared Petersen, who took three seconds off of Jordan Petersen’s previous leading time to take the victory in 40.79 seconds aboard Kawir MS.
“It was pretty nice knowing that my wife was already winning the class, so I just wanted to be steady and leave all the jumps up,” explained Jared Petersen. “Kawir is an odd horse, though, and he really likes to go fast. If you tell yourself you’re just going for a double-clear, that’s usually when you don’t do so well. If you ride it like a speed course every time, then he’s totally game.”
As the only other double-clear round, Jordan Petersen secured second place on her own eight-year-old Zangersheide gelding by Dominator 200 Z, Dropshot Z, in a time of 43.56 seconds. Megan Wexler’s four-fault jump-off score in 42.59 seconds with Procedures, Inc’s Charly Brown 353, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Companiero x Caretino 2), was good enough for third.
Megan Wexler and Doo-Wop Race to Win the $5,000 STX Open Speed
After becoming a much beloved part of the HITS Ocala winter season at the beginning of 2024, the STX Open Speed Series returned to headline competition on Friday, December 13, in the Grand Prix Ring. The series offers an exciting speed class each week, where riders tally points on the overall leaderboard. The top placing rider at each HITS circuit wins a custom STX tack box, while the overall leader across HITS venues is awarded a six-month lease on an STX 2-horse van. Although she suffered an unfortunate rail on course, Wexler still proved to have the fastest time in the faults-converted format aboard Doo-Wop, Golden Oaks Farm, LLC’s 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Camaro M x Hip Hop) and took home the leading rider title for Round I. No stranger to the winner’s circle at HITS Ocala, Morgan Ward-Knowlton followed suit behind Wexler, claiming both second and third with Fenn and Jimmy Jumper, respectively.
Will Coleman and Comme Again HS Make a Victorious Return in the $5,000 Horseflight Open Jumper Classic
As the first week of the 2024 HITS Ocala Holiday Series came to a close, the $5,000 Horseflight Open Jumper Classic took center stage as the final featured class in the venue’s Grand Prix Ring. Besting a field of five in the jump-off, U.S. Olympic eventer Will Coleman and Comme Again HS, Hyperion Stud, LLC’s nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Comme Il Faut, delivered a double-clear effort in 42.19 seconds to steal the show.
“This was kind of our first chance to get back into the show ring,” stated Coleman. “My plan for the jump-off was just to go around nicely. I didn’t want to go too crazy. I just wanted to give him a nice round.
“For a horse like him who missed a little bit of time showing this fall, it’s so awesome that we have these horse shows here at HITS in December to come to and just kind of get their legs back underneath them before they start the winter circuit,” he continued. “It’s just an awesome place. For the professionals in this area, we love coming here. The rings are fantastic, the courses are always really, really good, and they put some great prize money up at a variety of different levels for horses that are being produced to jump.”
Delivering consistent performances throughout the week, Solem claimed second place in the class with Caresse de la Croix Renard Z, finishing several seconds off of the pace in 45.23 seconds. While having the fastest time across the short course, Declan Egan and Cerlino tipped one obstacle in the jump-off track and ultimately rounded out the victory gallop in third place.
Show stopping action returns to HITS Post Time Farm on Wednesday, December 18 as the Holiday Festival gets underway.
