Theramal, CA - Week V of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, was a blockbuster. The show grounds were a buzz for a sold-out week where record number of entries filled popular classes starting as early in the week as Tuesday with the Level 2, 3, and 6 jumpers and the Low Hunters, each drawing huge numbers as everyone seems to be loving life in desert. It was also the final week of World Cup Qualifiers which means riders enjoyed their last week of competition in the hugely popular indoor arena, where the crowds were large and loud with the infectious energy of a European-style competition.

In a memorable “homecoming”, Kirsten Coe (Johnson, SC) made her first trip to Thermal one for the books when she rode Ilan Ferder’s Tristan to the blue ribbon in Thursday night’s $31,000 HITS Welcome Classic, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Coe is on a quest to qualify for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, and with two top-three finishes during the week she’s well on her way to claiming her spot in the class.

Two nights after Coe took her victory gallop, Amateur Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA) led the way winning Saturday night’s $50,000 CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119. In fact, Saturday night’s final World Cup Qualifier was dominated by young, up-and-coming stars as Davis was joined in the top of the class by Saer Coulter (San Francisco, CA) who finished second aboard Springtime, owned by Copernicus Stables, and Coe who finished third aboard Tristan.

The atmosphere in the indoor arena for the final World Cup class of the season was nothing short of electric. The Charles Owen VIP Club was sold out for the fourth week in a row, as more than 1,500 exhibitors packed the house to celebrate the very best in show jumping. And for those who were not lucky enough to have a ring-side seat for Saturday night’s feature class Show Jumping Unplugged TV was there to the rescue with a live streaming broadcast of every jump, every cheer, and every minute of action .

Less than 24 hours after her victory on Saturday night, Davis came back and dominated the largest starting Grand Prix field ever at HITS Thermal to win the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard Old Oak Farm’s Hannah to cap off an incredible week for one of the sport’s most up-and-coming stars.

Davis, who is one of 21 riders to hit their eight qualifying Grand Prix, now sits in the 12th spot in the preliminary Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix Rider Rankings aboard Nemo 119 with $17,500 in prize money won. Rich Fellers (Wilsonville, OR) leads the way with $52,600 in prize money won aboard Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Flexible, as High-Performance Riders across the country look to earn a spot in this year's colossal Pfizer Million Grand Prix.

The Horsepower action for the High-Performance riders shifts into high gear for Desert Circuit VI with two Grand Prix events on the slate, including the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, which will take place on Sunday, March 13 in the Strongid C 2X Stadium.

Fellers' Platinum Performance

Platinum Performance awarded Fellers the Platinum Performance Leading World Cup Rider Award for being the top performer in the four FEI World Cup Qualifiers at HITS Thermal this season. The dynamic duo of Fellers and Flexible became a house favorite in 2008 when they won three of the four FEI World Cup Qualifiers held at HITS Thermal.

This year, they enjoyed another stellar season with a first-place finish in the $50,000 CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, during Desert Circuit II, a fourth-place finish in the $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix during DC III, a second-place finish in the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, during Desert Circuit IV, and another fourth-place finish this past week in the $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. For his efforts, Fellers received a one-year supply of product courtesy of Platinum Performance.

John French Wins $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix

John French (Woodside, CA) dominated World Champion Hunter Rider Week after being named Champion in every rated division during Desert Circuit V. The icing on the cake came when French piloted Jessica Singer's Cruise to the top placing in Sunday's $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix.

The veteran hunter rider is on track to become one of the top competitors to vie for a place in the all-new Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. French now sits third in the preliminary Diamond Mills Rider Rankings, for the historical class that will take place the same weekend at the Pfizer Million at HITS-on-the-Hudson, in Saugerties, NY, September 10-11. Other HITS Thermal riders that sit in the top five are Nick Haness ( Coto de Caza, CA) and Hope Glynn, (Petaluma, CA) who sit second and fourth, respectively.

On Saturday, March 13, at nearly the same time, HITS will host the final three qualifiers of its 2011 Winter Show Season at all three of its Circuits in Thermal, CA; Tucson, AZ; and Ocala, FL. Starting on the East Coast, the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix will kick things off on Saturday night under the lights in the Grand Prix arena at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, while 1,700 miles west in Arizona riders will take to the hunt in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix. Then at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, the $25,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix will wrap up this Saturday Night Coast-to-Coast Special, before the focus shifts east to the HITS Culpeper and Saugerties spring and summer show series.

What's on Deck?

HITS will pull out all the stops for the season finale with the first ever Horsepower Weekend. To highlight the week, there will be four extraordinary events, starting with Saturday night’s $25,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, under the lights in the Strongid C 2X Stadium. Then on Sunday, it’s a tri-fecta of jumper action when the $10,000 Pilatus Aircraft Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Medium Classic and the $25,000 California Horsetrader Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic paves the way for the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach. The very best in luxury sports cars will sit alongside the very best in private aircrafts when Lamborghini of Newport Beach joins forces with Pilatus Aircraft to add to the horsepower at the HITS Desert Horse Park.

ENDS