HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce the participating athlete list for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ CSIO4*, presented by Edge Brewing Barcelona, Friday, February 19 at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida. For the second consecutive year, the HITS Ocala event is the only official United States qualifier for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Final held in Barcelona, Spain on September 22-25.
The HITS Organizing Committee, in conjunction with the USEF, invited select nations to participate in the international show jumping event. Each country is permitted to bring a team of four riders plus one alternate and a Chef d’Équipe or Team Coach.
“The world’s leading high-performance riders, including Olympic Gold Medalists, World Cup champions and FEI Nations Cup victors, will congregate at HITS Ocala next week for the only official stateside Nations Cup and judging by the entries, a spectacular performance is in store,” said HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri. “It is an honor to host this event for the second year and we are confident that Marion County will continue to live up to its reputation as the Horse Capitol of the World.”
Australia | Chef d’Équipe Stevie Macken
Thaisa Erwin
Tom McDermott
Scott Keach
Harley Brown
Matt Williams
Canada | Chef d’Équipe Mark Laskin
Ian Millar
Jonathon Millar
Amy Millar
Chris Sorensen
Mac Cone
Colombia | Chef d’Équipe Marcel Delestre
Roberto Teran
Daniel Bluman
Mark Bluman
Fernando Cardenas
Mauricio Guevara
El Salvador | Chef d’Équipe Cate Boon
Diego Muyshondt
Juan Manuel Bolanos
Paulo Santana
Ireland | Chef d’Équipe Robert Splaine
Kevin Babington
Cian O’Connor
Shane Sweetnam
Richie Moloney
David Blake
Mexico | Chef d’Équipe Norman Dello Joio
Alberto Michan
Eugenio Garza
Federico Fernandez
Jose Antonio Chedraui
Santiago Lambre
New Zealand | Chef d’Équipe Craig Martin
Luke Dee
Claudia Hay
Sharn Wordley
Kirk Webby
United States of America | Chef d’Équipe Robert Ridland
Mclain Ward
Elizabeth Madden
Lauren Hough
Laura Kraut
Todd Minikus
The starting order for the eight nations is determined by a draw to take place Wednesday, February 17, following the FEI Jog. On February 18, immediately following the $34,600 FEI Thursday Prix, each Chef d’Équipe will declare the order in which he wants his team members to compete.
In each round of the two round competition, the highest score per team will be dropped, and only three scores will count per round for each team. The country finishing with the lowest cumulative two-round score will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, a jump-off against the clock will be held to determine the winner.
Spanning four days of competition, Nations Cup Week at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala will host several notable classes in the FEI Jumper Division. Highlights include the $5,000 Welcome Stake and the $34,600 Thursday Prix on Thursday, February 18; the $112,900 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ , presented by Edge Brewing Barcelona, on Friday, February 19; the $34,600 HITS Jumper Classic on Saturday, February 20; and the $100,000 City of Ocala Grand Prix on Sunday, February 21. A complete schedule is available at HitsShows.com.
General admission tickets for the FEI Nations Cup™ are $10 and available in advance through OcalaTix.com ($2 processing fee applies). Tickets will also available at the gate the day of the event.
Day VIP passes available by pre-order for $100 per person. Includes ringside seating with a deluxe buffet and complimentary beer and wine. For Day VIP, call 352.368.1903. Day VIP tickets must be purchased in advance and are expected to sell out prior to February 19.
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