OCALA, FL - – Tracy Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas started the last week of HITS Ocala’s seven-week rated circuit on the right foot when she added another win to her already impressive record for the 2012 Winter Circuit. She and MTM Farm’sMTM Timon accepted the blue ribbon in Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to pick up her seventh Grand Prix victory of the winter season at HITS Ocala.

Florencio Hernandez of Mexico City, Mexico designed a dynamic course, which consisted of 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts. He tested both horse and rider with a triple combination at fence number four and a double combination at fence number 11. He also introduced an option at fence seven, where riders had to decide whether to guide their horses over a water obstacle or take a chance at a single rail. Hernandez saw a total of 30 competitors attempt the course and witnessed downed rails scattered throughout the track to only welcome five to the second round.

“The time was really tight. My first round was on a horse we just bought, and we had time faults,” said Fenney. “I knew we took a lot of time in the air, but I knew it was going to be an issue for the rest of the class too. I think people got in a hurry because of the time and they made mistakes because of it.”

Despite the time restraints, Fenney went clear with MTM Timon and was joined by Aaron Vale of Morriston, Florida on two different mounts, along with Megan Edrick of Ocala, Florida and Ashlee Bond of Hidden Hills, California.

First to tackle Hernandez’s jump-off was Vale in the irons of Thinkslikeahorse’s Wodka L. They were the first to be double clear and posted the Great American Time to Beat at 43.84 seconds. Fenney and MTM Timon followed to steal the lead and eventually the win with a time of 39.03 seconds. Despite some cushion in her lead, Fenney took nothing for granted with three riders poised to beat her time in the second half of the jump-off.   

“You never know how the class is ever going to turn out. I had two really fast riders behind me,” she said. “I knew it was the only shot I had and I had to do the best I could with Aaron, Ashlee and Megan sitting right behind me.”

Edrick was next on course with Procedures, Inc.’s Cadence and put her horse’s huge stride to great use, but couldn’t eat up enough ground to top Fenney’s time. She finished the jump-off in 40.84 to clinch second place and drop Vale and Wodka L to third.

Vale finished fourth on his second mount, Doug’s Crew’s Honeylands Douglason. The duo entered the ring with speed as the number one priority, but clipped a rail at the second fence to finish the round in 53.68 seconds with four faults. Rounding out the top five was Bond on Little Valley Farms’ Wistful, who saw trouble at the fourth fence of the jump-off and retired, still boasting a top five finish, as well as a sixth place ribbon on Little Valley Farms Apache.

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Tracy Fenney picked up her seventh HITS Ocala Grand Prix win on MTM Timon in this week’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. She will now turn her attention to Sunday’s $100,000 offering.

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HITS’ Lisa Engel and Caitlin Howley are joined by Fenney’s husband, Mike McCormick to present her and MTM Timon with first place honors after a win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Ocala. Fenney also won a bottle of Chardonnay, compliments of Sonoma-Cutrer, HITS Official Wine Sponsor.

$2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome

Derek Petersen kicked off Week VII at HITS Post Time Farm with a win in the $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome. Petersen, of Archer, Florida lead a class of 28 competitors on Wednesday and picked up the win aboard his own Via Dolorosa. Alex Granato of Elizabeth, Colorado and Augustin Walch’s Calypso W clinched second place and Fenney again appeared in the ribbons with a third place finish aboard MTM Farm’s MTM Genau. Rounding out the top five was Sharn Wordley in the irons of two different mounts. Wordley of Ocala, Florida piloted Filip Amram’s Quick Blue Z to fourth place and finished in fifth on Filip Amram’s Bukowski Conan.

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Derek Petersen guides Via Dolorosa to a win in the last $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome of the 2012 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit.

HITS welcomes the $100,000 Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix, Presented by Great American Insurance Group, to Post Time Farm

With the first of two Grand Prix behind them, riders will now look to Sunday’s featured $100,000 Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group. The big ticket class will serve as the exclamation point to a circuit full of exciting hunter/jumper competition. Hernandez will craft a course fitting for $100,000 in prize money to cap the HITS Ocala season and is sure to ask high-performance riders for their very best in speed, scope and technicality.  

“[Florencio] has a nice way of letting the horses leave the ring knowing they can do it and the riders knowing they can handle it,” said Fenney of Hernandez’s approach. “I think there will be a good turnout for Sunday and riders will need to be fast and precise.”

HITS' Official Radio Station, Country 103.7 The Gator  will be broadcasting live at HITS Ocala during the coming weekend and film crews from A Good Show and HRTV will also be on-site to capture the excitement of Sunday’s big ticket class. Coveted as the last winter circuit qualifier for September’s famed Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, the Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix will welcome the best of the East Coast to battle it out for valuable qualifying leverage. A free, live webcast will give show jumping enthusiasts from coast to coast a chance to watch the excitement unroll first-hand. Online viewing will begin Sunday afternoon at 2pm EDT. Viewers can click here to watch and on-demand viewing will be available shortly after the class.