Karl Cook and Farrari, owned by Signe Ostby, jump in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Friday, March 5, 2015, at HITS Desert Circuit VII (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - Karl Cook took home the blue ribbon in the $25,500 SmartPak Grand Prix Friday on Signe Ostby’s Farrari for his first Grand Prix victory of this year’s HITS Desert Circuit. Cook claimed the title over the rider who has prevailed most often this circuit, eight-time 2015 Grand Prix winner and U.S. Olympian Will...

Christina Firestone and Wilhelmus S Win 1.30-1.35m Class (Shannon Bower/Phelps Media Group) Wellington, Fla. - The Ridge at Wellington's Turf Tour visited Tonkawa Farms to kick off the ninth week of competition. The sun shined all day over the gorgeous polo fields on the private estate. Manicured hedges bordered the property and created a tranquil setting for the horses and riders to enjoy beautiful courses designed by Nick Granat in the main ring and Michel Ismalum in the second ring. Many...

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili Star in the $50,000 Horse Power Grand Prix at HITS Ocala (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - The bleachers were full and the grass berms surrounding the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium were lined with spectators for Sunday’s $50,000 Ring Power Grand Prix, and fans were treated to an exciting class with a race to the finish. Kristen VanderVeen from St. Charles, Illinois, came out on the top with an all-out gallop to the finish on Bull Run's...

Andy Kocher and his own Heliante clear the Budweiser oxer on their way to the win in Sunday's $35,000 Budweiser Grand Prix (Alison Hartwell) Gulfport, Miss. - Twenty seven horse and rider teams tackled Sunday's $35,000 Budweiser Grand Prix course, designed by Manuel Esparza of Mexico City, Mexico in front of delighted crowds. Esparza is a top international course designer whose resume includes his position as an Assistant Designer for the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, Sydney 2000,...

Conor Swail and Martha Louise won the Week 8 1.40m Wellington Turf Tour Grand Prix (Kendall Biere/Phelps Media Group) Wellington, Fla. - The eighth week of The Ridge at Wellington Turf Tour saw over 30 horse and rider combinations tackle Nick Granat's technical track, but Conor Swail and Martha Louise were the ones to beat from the get go. Irish rider, Swail, rode his veteran mount to the top of the leader board as only the sixth exhibitor of the day, breaking the beam in 38.731 seconds....

David Beisel and Ammeretto take first place in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix Sunday at HITS Ocala (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - David Beisel, of Goshen, Ohio, took first place in Sunday’s $50,000 HITS Grand Prix on Ammeretto, owned by Equine Holdings, LLC. The Grand Prix took place in the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium with a large crowd of spectators gathered around to watch the spectacle under beautiful, sunny skies. There were 16 efforts in the first round course designed by Coronado,...

Andre Thieme and his Contanga 3 win the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Ocala on Thursday, February 19 (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - Million Dollar Man André Thieme from Germany and his Contanga 3 won the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Ocala on Thursday, hitting top form while continuing his quest for a repeat win in the Ocala Great American $1 Million Grand Prix. As winner of last year’s Great American Million and the 2011 Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix, Thieme has...

Ocala, Fla. - Lisa Goldman of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, is on a hot streak at HITS Ocala Winter Circuit winning the $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome on Wednesday with Rocs to Riches and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Thursday with Morocco. Lisa Goldman and Morocco on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win at HITS Ocala (ESI Photography) Twenty four horse and rider combinations attempted Bernardo Cabral’s course of 15 efforts set at 1.45-1.50 meters for the opportunity to take...

Callan Solem and Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC’s VDL Wizard in the presentation photo after winning the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - Course designer Danny Foster of Milton, Ontario, gave the entries in Sundays $50,000 Hits Grand Prix a daunting course of 17 efforts and a time allowed that took no mercy. Only two riders jumped clear within the allotted time to advance to the jump-off: winner Callan Solem on Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC’s VDL Wizard and Tracy Fenney on MTM...

Brooke Banks and Brodeur (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - While it's far from Brooke Banks' maiden season in Wellington, she is jumping her first fences as an amateur rider this week. When the clock struck 12 on New Year's Eve, she shed her junior status and set her sights once again on the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival, this time as an amateur. Not letting her new title faze her, however, Banks jumped her own eight-year-old Mecklenburg gelding Brodeur to the championship in Section...