Thermal, Calif.—March 13   

HITS, Inc., announced the final list of riders set to compete in Sunday’s AIG $1 Million Grand Prix, presented by Lamborghini Newport Beach, at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, Calif.

With the touch-down of the East Coast qualified riders and manager’s picks yesterday, the list is made up of a cast of international superstars, World Cup Champions, Olympians and wide-eyed young talent.

Thermal, Calif.—March 7-9  

What brought Richard Spooner home to California from Europe after two years away from the HITS Desert Circuit? The allure of the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix on March 17.

With that in mind, Spooner rode his veteran Cristallo to the top of the $50,000 CardFlex Grand Prix at HITS Desert Circuit on March 9. He hopes he and the 16-year-old Cristallo are just getting warmed up. “When the jumps get bigger, Cristallo gets better, so we will see what happens,” Spooner said.

Thermal, Callif.—Feb. 23   

Quigley may not have many grand prix miles behind him, but his rider Kyle King of Ocala, Fla., is looking forward to the 10-year-old gelding stepping up to the level with a bang.

He is certainly on the right track after winning Sunday’s $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Thermal. “He’s the horse of my dreams,” said King. “Who knows where we go from here, but he’s the best horse I’ve ever had.”

Thermal, Calif.—Feb. 22   

It wasn’t just hockey fans celebrating for Canada this weekend. Neighbors from our north dominated the $50,000 Purina Animal Nutrition CSI-W, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal. Elizabeth Gingras of Alberta and the up-and-coming Bretton Chad, also of Alberta, went one-two for Canada in a three-horse jump-off and celebrated together for their home nation.

Ocala, Fla.—Feb. 16   

The future looks bright for Darragh Kenny after his new ride Alpha VDL topped their second grand prix together. “He’s a big, easy-going horse. I’ve shown him a few times now and nothing fazes him,” said Kenny. “He has a big stride and for a big horse he is amazingly light on his feet.”