Last Updated on October 1, 2025 by adminahb
Photo: Corinne Sweeney and Chaccossini
The Culpeper Finals, held September 24-28, 2025, wrapped up the 2025 HITS Culpeper Show Series at the Commonwealth Horse Park with a week of thrilling competition and season-ending celebrations. The atmosphere was electric as riders, trainers, and spectators gathered to witness some of the year’s most competitive show jumping and hunter action in Virginia. Saturday’s $20,000 HITS Grand Prix stole the spotlight as the week’s marquee event, delivering a thrilling, fast-paced finale, where Corinne Sweeny and Chaccossini came out on top.
Competitors took on a challenging, well-designed track by Mark McGowan of Nantwich, United Kingdom that tested both precision and speed. Ultimately, it was Sweeny and Chaccossini, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Chacco Blue × Cassini II) owned by Sagamore Farms II LLC, that claimed their first Grand Prix win as a pair, having been partnered together for just six months.
“Chaccossini is truly the most incredible athlete and partner,” shared Sweeny, the amateur rider from Oyster Bay, New York. “In the jump-off, his big stride helped us accomplish the leave-outs in the lines and stay tight through the turns, which made the difference. I’ve never ridden a horse that loves to jump the way he does. While he can be quite grumpy, he is the happiest at shows and definitely wants to win.”
After taking a break over the summer, the University of Virginia student chose HITS Culpeper as her first show back in the show ring to get back in the groove of competition.
“I’ve had a great weekend at HITS Culpeper,” she said. “It’s awesome to have a great facility nearby to kick our season off while I’m still in classes.”
Mary Lisa Leffler and her veteran mount Zaza Z took second, Rolling Acres’s 15-year-old Zangersheide mare (Zandor x Carentano Z), while Andrew Ross guided Cornet’s Cobalt, his 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Cornet’s Prinz x Ekstein), to third.
The $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby took center stage in the hunter ring, where Ashley Dewoolfston and Valandraud Clarion, a seven-year-old American Performance Horse gelding (Verdi × Caritano ZN) owned by Joseph Melnik, claimed the top spot with a stylish performance.
Kelsey Kocher piloted Lucky Dings HDH, Cecelia Byers’s nine-year-old Anglo-European Sporthorse (Cream On Top HDH × Lord Leatherdale), into a strong second place, while Susan Lyman and Ifwhizkycouldtalk, a six-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Unfettered × Stephen Got Even) owned by Catherine Brown, rounded out the podium.
The Culpeper Finals celebrated not only the winners of the week, but also the culmination of a memorable season at HITS Commonwealth Park. HITS extends heartfelt thanks to the riders, owners, grooms, staff, officials, sponsors, and the local community for making the 2025 HITS Culpeper season such a success. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another year of top-tier hunter/jumper sport in 2026.
For more information, visit HitsShows.com.