Griffith Leads Hunt at HITS

By Staff Report September 11, 2012

Patricia Griffith maintained regained her early lead to finish at the top of the HITS 3’3” Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final on Sienna. She rode off with a check for $150,000 Sunday, Sept. 9, at HITS on the Hudson VIII in Saugerties, NY.

Chiara Parlagreco of Warrenton, VA, won the 3’ final, a $250,000 Hunter Prix aboard The Impressionist, netting a $75,000 prize.

The HITS 3’3” Hunter Prix Final offers what is by far the richest hunter prize in the world, is only the second such big-ticket class HITS has hosted. It was the larger part of a $750,000 HITS championship week, Sept. 5-9, that capped the eight-week HITS summer circuit.

Griffith (White Plains, NY) ended Day 1 of the three-day contest in first place among 66 riders. When the top 26 came back on Day 2, Griffith fell to third, losing the lead to her 15-year-old student, Lillie Keenan, riding Chansonette Farm’s C Coast Z.

Keenan held onto first through round one of Day 3, but ultimately surrendered the blue to her trainer, Griffith as the top 12 went at it in the ride-off. Earlier in the day,

On Sept. 9, over two rounds that began with a clean slate, Griffith jumped to a cumulative score of 549.75 in the $500,000 class.  “This horse is a superstar and she deserves every second of this,” said Griffith of Sienna, Lexi Maounis’ 10-year-old mare. “She is always perfect and always quiet.”

Keenan (New York, NY) piloted “Coast” to a second-place score of 547. The two have been a pair for four years and have some big wins together. “He knows when he is at a special event and he loves the energy end feeds of the crowd,” Keenan said. “It was really special to be able to compete against Patricia and I am really excited that she is my trainer and that she won.”

Following Keenan in third was Amanda Steege of Bedminster, NJ, who made an impressive jump from the 23rd slot going into yesterday’s final rounds. She used the zeroed scores as an opportunity to impress the judges and climb up the list of qualified riders with Balou, owned by Lisa Arena, and a score of 538. “He’s a little horse with a big ego and that got him pretty far today,” Steege said of the Westfalen gelding.

Matthew Metell of East Falmouth, MA, and Heritage Farm, Inc.’s Pioneer were the final pair to enter the Strongid C2X Grand Prix Stadium for the fourth and final round of the big-ticket Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final on Sunday and finished on a score of 403 for fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Ellen Toon of South Salem, New York and her own Invincible with a score of 268 in the third round.

Hope Glynn, of Sonoma Stables in Penngrove, CA, made the cross country trek to the finals, and finished Day 2 in third place, riding Helen McEvoy’s Chance of Flurries. Some unfortunate missteps on Day 3 knocked her down to sixth, but that was still good for a $2,000 check.

“We don’t have nearly enough money or excitement involved in this (hunter) sport, so I will do anything I can to support the people who are willing to bring some attention to the thing that I love,” Glynn said, calling the competition “a pretty amazing group of riders.”

Glynn was joined by several others representing California. John French of Woodside, CA, placed 13th aboard a newer horse, Winner; Nick Haness (San Clemente) was 17th on Gelato (owned by Connor Perrin) and San Juan Capistrano’s Joie Gatlin 18th on Kistler (Cathy Morris Schmitt).

The Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final is open to junior, amateur and professional riders, offering unprecedented prize money to those who are able to qualify by earning points at other HITS events throughout the year. The company has TK shows, mainly on the East Coast and two in the West.

“We want to keep making it better and better,” HITS president and CEO Tom Struzzieri said of the experience for the nation’s hunter riders.

The sport of hunter riding is somewhat unique in that while it originated with the British foxhunt, it is only in the U.S. that it has become a competitive discipline of any note. That is the complete reverse of just about any other equestrian pursuit, where the prize money and public support lag other nations. (Although Struzzieri is single-handedly attempting his own dent in the show-jumping faction as well, by offering not one but two $1 million U.S. clases.)

“I couldn’t have been happier to see the quality of horses and riders that this class attracts and I am excited to see what next year brings,” Struzzieri said of his 2012 hunter efforts, which this year for the first time included the $250,000 Hunter Prix Final at 3’.

Amateur rider Chiara Parlagreco’s scored her win catch-riding for trainer Denice DeRisio-Perry of Skyland Farm in Middleburg, VA. She was to have ridden DeRisio-Perry’s Placido, but the horse some lame steps while schooling the day before and Parlagreco didn’t feel it was advisable to proceed with him to the big class.

She phoned her trainer, who was back home in Virginia, and swift arrangements were made to have The Impressionist (Nemo), who is owned by a barnmate, shipped to Saugerties. The Chronicle of the Horse ran a touching article, by Molly Sorge, discussing the unusual circumstances behind Parlagreco’s win, and how she struggles to balance a job that gives her the flexible schedule to travel to shows with making enough money to be able to afford it (a piece that offers a telling rebuttal to the Stephen Colberts of the world, who would make every equestrienne out to be rich and spoiled).

“I was nervous and he was tired,” Parlagreco said. “But I just tried to ride the same way that I have been riding. I knew he would excel in the big ring because he has a jumper background and it really woke him up.”

One of the unusual things about the HITS hunter classes is they take place the morning of the Pfizer $1 Million, in the Grand Prix arena, which has already been set with a show jumper course. It’s a test of equanimity to weave the hunters through the intimidating and colorful show jumps.

Parlagreco and The Impressionist held the lead from day one of the final, and rode to a score of 526 on Sunday for the win.

Amy Zettler of Aldie, Vriginia rode her own Glad Rags to second place with a score of 516.5. Despite admitting that, for a brief moment, she forgot the course after the first jump, she rallied and piloted Glad Rags through a picturesque two rounds. “My goal was just to make the cut and then show off,” Zettler said. “This horse is amazing and she really taught me how to win.”

Erika Scherer of Rancho Santa Fe, California was third on Starview Farms, Inc.’s Sarentino with a final score of 504.5. “We just don’t get to jump like this in California,” she admitted. “Once the first jump was out of the way, I knew we were going to have a good round.”

Closing out the top five was Jordyn Rose Freeman of Winchester, MA on Ann Lufkin’s S&L Play it Again with a two-round total of 487 for fourth and Lily Blavin of Tinton Falls, NJ, aboard her own Opportunity in fifth after a first round score of 250.

For his part, HITS’ Struzzieri said he was pleased with the diversity within this inaugural class, boding well for its future. “To see Virginia and California represented in the top spots accomplishes exactly what we wanted with this class – it is a true national final that riders at this level have never seen before. With this kind of support, we will be back next year.”

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