OCALA, FL (March 12, 2004)—Aaron Vale is on fire, and HITS Ocala is basking in the heat. For the fourth week in a row, the gifted Grand Prix rider has taken top honors in Thursday's $25,000 Grand Prix class. This time he did it in style with a 1-2-3 finish. Vale was the only rider to master Anthony D'Ambrosio's technical first round course, and advanced with three horses to the jump-off. With only himself to beat, Vale was assured of the top three spots. His winning mount was Romulus, owned by Town Creek Investment. His second place finish was aboard Quendo, also owned by Town Creek Investment. For third place, he rode Arriscraft Soliel owned by Angelstone Farm.

The Millar team is also enjoying a successful circuit at HITS Ocala. Jonathon Millar, son of Canadian show-jumping legend Ian Millar, finished in fourth place aboard Karat.

Course designer, Anthony D'Ambrosio of Red Hook, New York, set a challenging 13-obstacle first round course that included three double combinations at fences no. 4, no. 9, and no. 12. The time allowed was set at 93 seconds. It was the last combination, the vertical - vertical in-and-out that posed the most problems for the field of 26 starters. Aaron Vale was the only rider to master the tough course, and incredibly he guided all three of his mounts clear.

After the first round, Vale elected to withdraw Arriscraft Soliel from the jump-off. He posted a clear round with Romulus over the seven-obstacle short course. With no time pressure, he took it slow and easy, giving his horse a leisurely ride. The time allowed was 60 seconds and Vale accumulated 13 time faults when he crossed the timers in 72.22 seconds. He brought Quendo in for his trip around the ring, but chose to withdraw the horse after three jumps. With the circuit's Grand Finale, the $100,000 King Shavings Grand Prix coming up on Sunday, Vale is not taking any unnecessary risks.

For more information on the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, please visit www.hitsshows.com. For further press information: contact Mary Creech 845-246-8833 or creechmm@cs.com.

$25,000 HITS Grand Prix - Thursday, March 10, 2004
HITS Ocala V - Ocala, FL
Course Designer: Anthony D'Ambrosio, Red Hook, NY