THERMAL, CA (January 29, 2026) Rudy Leone isn’t a greedy man. In fact, the owner of Kaskaya said when he entered the Oasis VIP Club before the jump-off he would take the red ribbon right now and forgo the chance to compete for the top prize in Sunday’s $50,000 EMO Grand Prix.
It’s a good thing that 24-year-old Jill Humphry wasn’t buying into his plan. Humphry outdueled Canadian Olympian, John Pearce, and Urioso in the jump-off to capture the first ever Sunday Grand Prix Class held to date at HITS Thermal and secured the $15,000 first place prize.
“We’re just on an incredible run,” said Leone. “I’m on cloud 11.Kaskaya is a great horse and Jill is a great rider.”
Humphry, the 2005 EMO Rookie of the Year, was second in Friday’s $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix and hasn’t dropped a single rail in any Grand Prix yet at HITS Thermal.
“It just wasn’t meant to be,” said Pearce, who was the leading money winner at the HITS Desert Circuit in 2006. “It was meant to be Jill’s day. I have no complaints. I absolutely love the facility. It is amazing for exhibitors and spectators. We had a great crowd today and it is exciting to jump in front of so many people. There is no comparison between here and the Indio facility. We are all thankful to have such a place to call home in the winter.”
Attendance on Sunday at HITS Thermal was estimated at 2,000 people. “It just shows that the people in the Coachella Valley are excited about having the new HITS equestrian center here in Thermal,” said HITS’ Senior Vice President, Tony Hitchcock.
Pearce dropped just one rail when he rubbed on fence 12B. “It was week one and sometimes those things happen early on,” he said.
Richard Spooner had two fantastic trips on both of his mounts but thanks to a bit of hard luck he failed to reach the jump-off. Airtime was third with one time fault and fan favorite Robinson knocked down the final hurdle on course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio’s first round course.
“I went in loaded for a bear and came out with a squirrel,” said Spooner, who also had one time fault on Robinson in Friday’s $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix. “It was a top notch competition today and good to see we got a jump-off, even though it was only two horses. I was glad to finish third. Airtime is doing well and I look forward to five more weeks of competition here at HITS Thermal.”
Show Jumping at HITS Thermal continues Wednesday through Sunday at the HITS Desert Horse Park, in Thermal, CA. Friday’s featured class is the $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix and on Sunday the featured class will be the $75,000 Footing Authority Grand Prix.
For the past 15 years, HITS has produced a six-week winter horse show circuit just five miles from HITS Thermal at the intersection of Monroe Street and Avenue 52 in Indio, California. The 2007 HITS Desert Circuit is being held at the new, state-of-the-art HITS Desert Horse Park equestrian facility in Thermal, California.
The new horse park is the largest Hunter/Jumper horse show venue in the United States and has more than $10,000,000 in improvements, including stabling for more than 3,000 horses and 12 competition rings. HITS Thermal also features the new state-of-the-art footing provided by Footing Authority.
In January 2006 HITS entered into a private equity arrangement with Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. in Los Angeles. As a result, HITS, Inc. is able to develop and execute exciting operational and strategic initiatives that both solidify its well-established position as the leader in horse show management and allow for new growth opportunities including the construction of HITS Desert Horse Park. HITS generates significant economic impact in each of its five venues in California, Arizona, Florida, Virginia and New York.
Results
1 Kaskaya Jill Humphry Leone Equestrian $15,000 0 0 49.56
2 Urioso John Pearce Forest View Farms $11,000 0 4 44.82
3 Airtime Richard Spooner C & S Partnership $6,500 1
4 Aushtin’s Obsession Becky Smith Aushtin Holdings $4,000 4
5 Grand So So 2 Laura Linback Woodrun $3,000 4
6 Callisto Jill Henselwood Equine Candada $2,500 4
Other Results
Adequan Open Hunter - Fenwick, ridden by Vanessa Brown and owned by Amy Brubaker, Woodland, CA
Farnam Adult Hunter 18-35 - Hudson Bay, ridden by Katie Cook and owned by Sarah Rahmatian, Los Angleles, CA
Farnam Adult Hunter 36-45 - Round Midnight, ridden by Elizabeth Oliver and owned by Mountain View Farms, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
M & S Adult Hunter Classic - Round Midnight, ridden by Elizabeth Oliver and owned by Mountain View Farms, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
M & S Adult Jumper Classic - Luke, ridden by Brooke Flynn and owned by Hap 737, San Diego, CA
M& S Adult Jumper Classic - Elusive, ridden by Krista Mergen and owned by Patricia Mergen, Priddis, Alberta Canada
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