AARON VALE OPENS TO WIN IN $50,000 EMO GRAND PRIX AT HITS OCALA WINTER CLASSIC

Ocala, FL (February 16, 2005)—

Aaron Vale and Arriscraft Soliel were the first to cut up the footing in the Grand Prix ring at the HITS Ocala Winter Classic in Sunday's big class—the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix. A clear round advanced them to a five-horse jump-off, and the pair proved that first in the order can also mean first in the class. With Sergio Campos and Ian Millar coming up behind him, Vale rode the delicate balance between clean and fast. His time of 46.74 seconds with all the rails up secured him the win. "Arriscraft is a careful horse, so I knew I could go clear," said Vale. "I didn't take any risks at the middle part of the course, taking my time going into the combination and at the big vertical, and then picking up the pace again."

Millar was the only other double-clear of the competition, with a jump-off time of 49.52 seconds giving him second place. Sergio Campos and his Brazilian Sport Horse Shakira Do Jacare, winner of the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix in week 2, had the fastest time with 45.32 seconds on the clock. However, an unlucky rail at the double combination dashed their chances and left them in third place. "Sergio is a super rider, and I figured he was going to beat my time. I was just holding out for him to pull a rail, and he did. After that, I was fairly confidant I had the win."

Finishing up in fourth place, Kristi Smith and On The Sly had an eight-fault performance in 50.37 seconds. Sergio Campos took another trip around the course on his second mount Cowboy. Three rails came down and his time of 47.04 seconds was good enough for fifth place.

Aaron Vale riding Arriscraft Soliel - Winners of $50,000 EMO Grand Prix ©Lili Weik Photography

Vale's winning mount, Arriscraft Soliel, is owned by Angelstone Farm.

With a string of horses all showing top form, Aaron Vale also took the blue ribbon in Thursday's $25,000 Grand Prix. His ride, Romulus, owned by Hollow Creek Investments, gave him the win in style, posting the only double-clear round of the competition. Vale also took fourth place with another up-and-coming horse, Boxster, a 9 year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding, jointly-owned by Stuart & Karen Tinney and Millstream Inc.

Other major award winners at HITS Ocala Winter Classic included:
HBO Junior Medal – Staisha Bejarano, Sarasota, FL
Charles Owen Children's Medal Winner – Courtney Dinan, Lenox, MA
Charles Owen Adult Medal Winner – Liz Stitzel, Colchester, VT
Farnam Adult Hunter Division – Mirabella ridden by Karen Newman, Pace, FL
Adequan® Open Hunter Division – Cayman ridden by Jamie Planck Martin, Jackson, MS

The next Grand Prix event of the circuit will take place on Thursday, February 17th at 1pm. Spectators will enjoy world-class show jumping competition as riders compete for top honors in the $25,000 Peterson & Smith Grand Prix. The $50,000 TR3 Grand Prix will finish out the week on Sunday, February 20th at 1pm.

$50,000 EMO Grand Prix - Sunday, February 13, 2005
HITS Ocala Winter Classic - Ocala, FL
Course Designer: Javier Fernandez, Guadalajara, Mexico

WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY REMAINING 2005 SHOW DATES ARE:
Ocala Winter Festival II - February 16-20
Ocala Masters III - February 23-27
Ocala Tournament IV ­ March 2-6
Ocala Winter Finals V - March 9-13

FEATURED EVENTS:
$10,000 U-Dump Junior / Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classics, Weeks I through IV
$25,000 Peterson & Smith Grand Prix - Thursday, February 17 at 1:00pm
$50,000 TR3 Grand Prix - Sunday, February 20 at 1:00pm
$25,000 HITS Grand Prix - Thursday, February 24 at 1:00pm
$50,000 Footings Unlimited Grand Prix - Sunday, February 27 at 1:00pm
$25,000 HITS Grand Prix - Thursday, March 3at 1:00pm
$50,000 HITS Grand Prix - Sunday, March 6 at 1:00pm
$25,000 Marshall & Sterling Junior / Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic - Sunday, March 13 at 10:00am
$25,000 Marshall & Sterling Child / Adult Jumper Classic ­ Sunday, March 13 at 12:00 noon
$25,000 HITS Grand Prix - Thursday, March 10 at 1:00pm
$100,000 Grand Prix of Ocala presented by Great American Insurance - Sunday, March 13 at 2:00pm

SPECIAL EVENTS:
Kids Day - Sunday, February 27
Grand Finale - Sunday, March 13
Champions of the Week Presentations are held on Sundays prior to the 1:00pm Grand Prix. Circuit Champions are presented week V.

POST TIME TRAINING FARM - 13710 U.S. Hwy 27; Ocala, Florida 34482; Tel: 352-620-2275. Website: www.HitsShows.com