Will Simpson and The Dude take first place in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix Friday, January 16. © ESI Photography

Thermal, CA (January 17, 2015): With no faults and a time of 42.815 seconds, Will Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, won the first Grand Prix of the season at the HITS Desert Circuit. One of only three riders to go clear, Simpson prevailed in the jump-off with a time almost three seconds faster than his nearest competitor, Susan Artes and Zamiro, owned by Alix Fargo.With the win, Simpson, of Westlake Village, California, took home a cash prize of $7,500. Artes, of Burbank, California, placed second, with a clear round in a time of 45.222 seconds, while Eduardo Menezes, of Carlsbad, Brazil, and Clear Me, owned by Ilan Ferder, placed a close third with no faults in a time of 45.714, in the course designed by Florencio Hernandez, of Mexico City, Mexico.Simpson was quick to give credit to The Dude for the win. “He is a horse we are really excited about, and a horse that seems to truly understand the sport,” said Simpson. He also praised SmartPak, the sponsor of the class and numerous Grand Prix throughout the HITS Thermal and HITS Ocala circuits. “A company very much into horses like they are,” said Simpson, “makes our horses safer and happier.”The $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix is the first major showjumping event of the 2015 HITS Desert Circuit. The circuit will continue for eight weeks, from January 13 through March 15, with an off week in February. The next Grand Prix is the $50,000 Equine Couture/Tuffrider Grand Prix on Sunday, January 18. Throughout the entire series, held at the state-of-the-art HITS Desert Horse Park, hundreds of riders and horses will compete in dozens of classes for all levels of experience, with more than $3 million in prizes at stake.Place    Horse    Owner   Rider     Prize  Round 1 Faults   JO Faults  JO Time1 The Dude    Monarch International    William Simpson    $7,500  0  0     42.815  2 Zamiro     Alix Fargo  Susan Artes   $5,500   0  0  45.2223 Clear Me   Ilan Ferder   Eduardo Menezes   $3,250   0   0   45.7144 Chakira   Isabelle Terry    Christian Heineking   $2,000   0   4  43.3675 Zilox T     Haley Farms, LLC    Tiffany Sullivan   $1,500   0   4   45.1016 Alfie Scappino BMW  Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Rivera Torres  Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Rivera Torres    $1,250   0  4  45.2747 Calero     Neaulani Farms   Allyssa Hecht   $1,000     0   4   47.2668 Glide       Kimberly Butts   Macella O’Neill   $750     0   4   47.5689 Geledimar    Monarch International     Hannah Heidegger     $750   0   4 48.60310 Granit S   John Anderson    John Anderson   $500   0   4     48.63111 Conejito   Carol Wright   Carol Wright   $500   0   4   50.96112 AJE Cluny   AJE Equitation     Christian Helneking   $500 1 *     *