HITS Heats Up Thermal 2013
By Staff Report October 26, 2012
Chris Pratt and Cruise win the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix on the 2012 HITS Desert Circuit. A Thermal $1 Million class debuts in 2013.(Flying Horse Photography)
HITS has set dates for the 2013 Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, including the inaugural Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix on March 17. The show unfolds Jan. 22-March 17 with a week off Feb. 12-17.
“We ended the 2012 season in Thermal with a tremendous amount of momentum,” HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri said. “It was one of our best seasons to date at the new show grounds and represented a pivotal turning point in the evolution of that circuit, and really the sport of show jumping as a whole on the west coast. I’m confident the plans we have for this coming season will help to fuel that momentum and keep the business growing.”
Topping the list of changes for Thermal is the addition of another $1 Million Grand Prix. HITS was the first (and remains the only) horse show promoter to present a six-figure class in the U.S. when it uncorked the Pfiizer $1 Million in 2010. That international event caps the HITS-on-the-Hudson circuit in Saugerties, NY.
With the addition of the Thermal Million, the circuit now moves to a seven week format with the final week seeing a series of special and championship classes unfold. HITS plans to pair the Thermal Million with a musical performance to increase the draw and attraction for sponsors, exhibitors and local spectators.
Riders will qualify for the Thermal $1 Million by participating in the all-new Thermal Million Grand Prix League, a series of special classes presented variously by HITS, Jump Del Mar, Sacramento International, Langer Equestrian Group and Blenheim EquiSports.
A series of fall qualifiers at the non-HITS shows will be followed by 15 more qualifying opportunities on the 2013 Desert Circuit, which will also showcase World Cup action, with three FEI World Cup qualifiers. The CSI-W World Cup qualifiers will take place on Saturday evenings during weeks II, III and IV, and will be held in the outdoor grand prix arena under the lights. Last year’s Rolex/FEI World Cup winners, the USA’s Rich Fellers and his stallion Flexible, qualified mainly at Thermal.
After consulting with Fellers and with unanimous support from the HITS Trainer Committee, HITS made the decision to forgo bringing the covered arena back for the 2013 season and will instead utilize a smaller footprint of the Grand Prix arena to emulate the ring dimensions of the World Cup. A June conference call with its West Coast Trainer Committee to discuss plans for the 2013 circuit included on the line Karen Healey, Shelley Campf and John French, among others.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that HITS will be able to produce courses for the World Cup Qualifiers in the outdoor arena that will facilitate the practice and preparation we need to ready our horses for the World Cup,” Fellers said. “The excitement of showing in the main ring under the lights with the VIP [Oasis] Club looking on will be great. And perhaps even more exciting, will be the fever to qualify for the first ever Thermal Million. I expect that we are going to see lots of returning and new exhibitors in Thermal this year.”
The VIP building will this year be enclosed with glass sliders to accommodate for night classes and climate control.
Other plans for the circuit include the addition of more barns to increase supply for permanent stalls, improved footing in the schooling areas for Hunter 1 and 2 and more roads and landscaping.
Campf was particularly excited about the Devoucoux Hunter Prix moving to Fridays, where she feels they will “bring a broader participation of quality competition to that class.” Campf also feels a new Outside Course for Hunters will add variety and “enhance the experience. My group is looking forward to having a Championship Week with a broad spectrum of classes, and competing alongside the big jumpers during DC VII. ”
HITS has for the past two years hosted a $500,000 hunter final and this year expanded to include a second $250,000 final in Saugerties. One can’t help but wonder what the future might hold for hunters at HITS.
Dates are as follows:
HITS Desert Circuit
Desert Circuit I – January 22-27
DC II – January 29 – February 3 CSI*2-W
DC III – February 5-10 CSI*2-W
Off-Week – February 12-17
DC IV – February 19-24 CSI*2-W
DC V – February 26 – March 3
DC VI – March 5-10
DC VII – March 12-17, featuring the Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix
For more information visit www.HitsShows.com
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