French in Hunt at HITS

By Paula Parisi March 13, 2011

John French wound down the HITS Desert Circuit with a flourish on March 12, finishing first and second in the $25,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix – the richest hunter prize on the six-week Thermal winter circuit. French claimed the blue on Oscany Inc.’s Clooney, and placed second with Jessica Singer’s Cruise. Jenny Karazissis came in third on Tonia Cook Looker’s Forbes.

French, who operates his Waldenbrook Stables out of  Woodside, Calif., also Cruised to victory in a $5,000 hunter prix March 6, topping two of the six hunter prix (each sponsored by Devocoux, five offering $5,000 prizes).  French dominated DC V’s World Champion Hunter Rider Week by capturing the champion title in every rated division.

Along with Coto de Caza-based Nick Haness and Petaluma’s Hope Glynn, French collected the requisite five HITS hunter prix to qualify for the Diamond Mills $500,000 3’3” Hunter Prix Final, scheduled to take place September 10-11, the same weekend as the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, in Saugerties, New York.

“I will be in Saugerties,” French said. “That kind of prize money for hunters is unheard of. I don’t really know what horse I will ride, but anyone would like to have Cruise do that class.” Singer, who is trained by Brookway Stables’ Archie Cox at, was away at Skidmore College in Saratoga and couldn’t attend Thermal. Cruise “is one of the most consistent performers in my barn,” Cox said. “His best attribute is that he is willing to do whatever is asked of him.”

The Hunter Prix Final aspirants are ranked by how many HITS Prix points they rack up. Coming out of HITS, Haness was seated second in the rider rankings, Glynn was fifth and French tied for sixth.  The rankings will reshuffle with Thermal over and the focus shifting to the East Coast for the HITS Culpeper and Saugerties shows, so finishing the Desert Circuit with as high a chart position as possible was important in terms of being able to make the cut of 75 qualifying riders. All three riders appear to have it locked up.

Haness was the first to nab blue in a HITS $5,000 Hunter Prix, winning Feb. 13 aboard Pamela Stewart’s Catwalk. Stewart said she bought the horse will the sole purpose of qualifying for the Diamond Mills $500,000 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final at HITS Saugerties. “He is the most incredible jumper that I have ever seen, and I hope we can attend the Final at HITS Saugerties,” Stewart said, adding that she is from New York and would find it particularly meaningful to show there.

“Anyone who thought the 3’3″ class was going to be easy is dead wrong,” said Haness, who went on to scored a second Hunter Prix victory on Jessica Singer’s Cruise.

Glynn scored two Hunter Prix victories on Sabrina Hellman’s Woodstock on Feb. 6 and 27. Her students, Erin Bland of San Diego and Avery Hellman (Kentfield, California) were also consistent top finishers at the Circuit, and are two of the five riders from the West Coast who qualified for the Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final. Jenny Karazissis and Shelly Campf sit at 20 and 21, respectively.

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