Ward of Brewster, New York added Sunday's victory to a win in Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to pick up his fifth Grand Prix at HITS and make an anticipated appearance on the Top 40 Pfizer Million Rider Rankings. Now eligible for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, Ward sits fourth on the top 40 with a total $46,500 in prize money.
In addition to being the reigning Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix champion, Ward won the first $50,000 Grand Prix of the season during HITS opening week aboard his own Oh' D Eole. He followed that with two more wins during Week II, in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix aboard Blue Chip Bloodstock’s Domino, and again two days later aboard Oh’ D Eole in the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, both presented by Pfizer Animal Health.
The road to the Pfizer Million now returns to HITS Culpeper for two consecutive weeks and includes two more Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix qualifiers. Competition returns to Saugerties August 31 as HITS-on-the-Hudson offers the last two chances to qualify before the $30,000 Wild Card class, scheduled for September 9. The winner of that class, if not already qualified for the Pfizer Million, will receive a Wild Card berth and automatically compete for the richest purse in show jumping history.
The final day of competition at the 2011 USEF Junior Hunter Championship - East Coast kicked off the NY Horse & Pony Show and saw Lillie Keenan come away with both the overall Grand Champion and overall Reserve Grand Champion awards at the conclusion of the three-day event.
Keenan claimed the Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under Champion award as well as overall Grand Champion on Don Stewart’s Confidential. The New York City native also captured the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under Champion and Reserve Grand Champion honors aboard Chansonette Farm LLC’s Madison. Adding to the 14-year-old's list of accolades, she piloted Madison to win the War Dress Memorial Trophy, awarded to the high score mare of the Championship.
Not to be outdone, Kristen Lutz of Darien, Connecticut secured Champion honors in both the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 on Stratford Stables’ Huntington and the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 aboard Sophie Cohen’s Que Sera. Aside from Champion honors, both riders earned Wild Card Berths in September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final at HITS Saugerties.
The two rising hunter riders will be joined by some of the top juniors, professionals and amateurs when the unprecedented class takes place during Pfizer Million Weekend. One rider that looks to be on the short list of contenders is Patty Stovel, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. The seasoned veteran and Shoal Creek Stables' Kenya rose to the top of the 70 horse-and-rider combinations that showed in Saturday's feature class for hunters.
Currently, Ellen Toon, of South Salem, New York leads the way in the Diamond Mills Rider Rankings with only two qualifiers remaining before the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final highlights Pfizer Million weekend.
Stovel wasn’t the only rider to reach the magic five Devoucoux qualifying classes this weekend at HITS as 11 other names were added to the current Rankings, including Saturday's eighth-place finisher Kaitlyn Skog of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Ross Reisner of East Setauket, New York, and Amanda Starbuck of Ridgefield, Connecticut just to name a few.
Party and Prizes!
The NY Horse & Pony Show certainly provided exhibitors with plenty to do outside of the ring. The party got started on Thursday night when some of the top Grand Prix riders in the country set sail aboard The Teal, HITS' Official Motor Yacht, for the Pfizer High-Performance Riders Dinner on the beautiful Hudson River. Guests had the opportunity to relax with horse show friends and sponsors and Pfizer Animal Health representatives while enjoying a fabulous meal catered by New World Home Cooking.
Friday night the party shifted back to the show grounds where David Lerner and Associates sponsored the food for the Happy Hour Exhibitor Party in the HITS Bar as exhibitors celebrated an exciting day of competition. On Saturday night, exhibitors and the Saugerties community enjoyed a country hoedown to celebrate Saugerties’ Bicentennial, complete with a live string band and square dancing. As the weekend of showing continued, exhibitors and their families were treated to breakfasts and lunches provided by EquiFit.
Sunday kicked into high gear when HITS’ Official Radio Station, WRWD 107.3 FM did a live broadcast from the show grounds from noon to 2 p.m. and then the World of the Horse took over the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix Stadium with a parade of breeds and equestrian exhibitions that delighted horse lovers of all ages.
Top Dog
The winner of the overall Exclusive PMI Top Dog award at HITS Saugerties this season was announced prior to the jump-off during Sunday's $100,000 Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. When all of the votes were counted it was Chrys, the Jack Russell owned by Mary Chapot of Neshanic, New Jersey who emerged as the winner. Chrys took the honors with 111 votes and won a year’s supply of Exclusive PMI dog food and a prize pack, courtesy of PMI Exclusive. Second runner up was Tiki with 105 votes, the Corgi owned by Melissa Schaefer from Niskayuna, NY.
Odor-No-More Grooms Award
During the NY Horse & Pony Show Ricardo Duron captured the Groom's Award sponsored by Odor-No-More. Many grooms were nominated for the prestigious award, but it was Duron who emerged the winner. Duron works at Essex Equestrian Center located in West Orange, New Jersey where he cares for more than 50 horses.
“He puts his heart and soul into getting ready for a show or mucking stalls," said horse owner DJ Hall.
Odor-No-More Products are eco-friendly solutions which provide animal owners the ability to save time and money maintaining their animal’s enclosures. The products consist of a proprietary blend of micro-nutrient salts that are commonly found in animal feed supplements and hoof care products, to safely eliminate odors and wetness. For more information on Odor-No-More, please visit www.odornomore.com.
HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS took the industry to new heights when it hosted the first-ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. HITS will once again offer the most innovative weekend in show jumping history in 2011 when it hosts the second annual Pfizer Million and the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, September 10-11, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.