Brady Mitchell Delivers a One-Two Punch in $5,000 ClipMyHorse.tv Classic Qualifier
The beginning of the 2024 HITS Ocala Holiday Series at the newly-renovated HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida, also marked an important event for hunter riders with a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation, offering one of the first opportunities of the season to earn crucial WCHR points. The Holiday Classic also included the first $5,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Classic Qualifier on Saturday, December 14 — one of six qualifying events toward the $200,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Hunter Classic Final at HITS Hudson Valley in September. The best hunter riders geared up their trusted mounts in hopes of checking off qualification at the first chance. There was a clear, stand-out competitor as Brady Mitchell, hailing from Wellington, Florida, claimed both first and second place, as well as fourth.
The event’s Qualifier mimicked the Final format, consisting of a single round over a traditional hunter course with fences set at the 3’6” height. This format differs from other premier hunter events as there are no second rounds, no high options, and no height changes. With only 19 total spots up for grabs, the inaugural qualifier acted as an important landmark with three riders punching their tickets for the 2025 season.
With an incredible score of 90, Mitchell secured his spot with a winning round on Mikado, Danielle Baran’s seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Casall, but put forward two more impressive performances, placing second with a score of 88 on Epic Style, a 12-year-old Warmblood gelding by Cloney, and fourth with a score of 85 on Wayland Square, an 11-year-old American Warmblood gelding by Harmony Bay, both owned by the Rein Family LLC.
“The horses I rode today are really the horses I have that are eligible for a class like this,” detailed Mitchell. “Mikado is a special horse to me; we’ve taken our time with him, and we are so excited he’s a First Year Green horse this year.
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