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2010 HITS Saugerties Property Enhancements Offer Exhibitors and Spectators Only The Best

April 22, 2010

Saugerties, New York –-– Home of the unprecedented Pfizer Million, HITS-on-the-Hudson will welcome exhibitors from around the world with a vast array of new amenities and property enhancements as the first of the eight week 2010 HITS Saugerties Spring & Summer Series gets underway May 26-30. From a new “Main Street” to one million dollars, HITS Saugerties has everything one could ask for, and more.

Commencing May 26, HITS-on-the-Hudson offers eight weeks of the finest hunter/jumper competition in the nation, followed by the Pfizer Million on September 12 and the 20th Annual Marshall and Sterling League Finals September 16-19. This year, HITS Inc. is pleased to announce a major construction project that will enhance what is known as the “Main Street” of the show grounds. This enhancement incorporates a beautifully landscaped center island with lamppost lighting to divide the road that runs from the jumper rings all the way to the pony rings. By separating this road with an island, horse and golf cart traffic will now be separated on the majority of the show grounds, a recommendation from the HITS Saugerties Trainer Committee.

“This is going to be a major improvement to the overall aesthetic and flow of the show grounds,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO, of the new property updates. “The group on our Saugerties Trainer Committee has championed for this update and I’m happy to have it be part of our 2010 property improvement projects.”

In addition to dividing “Main Street”, HITS has plans to construct two new bridges to keep golf cart and horse traffic divided; one of the new bridges will connect the Gold Permanent Barns 1-6 and the paddocks to the Silver Permanent Barns 7-13, and the other will connect the tent stabling area to the main part of the horse show near the show office. Each of these crossings will have one designated bridge for horses and another for golf carts. In between “Main Street” and the new bridges, traveling between the stabling areas and the rings will be an enjoyably convenient experience for horses, grooms and riders alike.

Due to overwhelming demand for classes scheduled in the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix ring, HITS Saugerties now offers jumper riders the opportunity to get the Grand Prix ring experience in a brand new Jumper 1 located adjacent to the Grand Prix Schooling area. The former Jumper 1 ring will become Jumper 2. The new Jumper 1 will be decorated with natural obstacles, feature more dynamic jumps and will have flags and flag poles bordering the ring. This new ring is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is also a great way for young horses as well as junior and amateur riders to get a feel for what it is like to ride in the Grand Prix Ring. Young Jumper Championship classes for the 5, 6, and 7&8-year-old sections will be held in the new Jumper 1, as will the Medium and Low sections and classics of the Junior and Amateur Jumper divisions, the High Children’s Jumpers, and the High Adult Jumpers.

“The new Jumper 1 will be a perfect stepping stone for the Grand Prix ring,” said Struzzieri. “Our days in Saugerties are often long because there are so many riders eager to compete in the Grand Prix to get that experience. This ring will provide the perfect segue for riders looking to prepare their horses for the Grand Prix ring. This ring will be significantly more decorated than the other jumper rings and should help to alleviate some of the congestion we experience in the Grand Prix ring, making for shorter days.”

Hunter riders looking to keep up with the latest trends in the sport will have the opportunity to do so with the HITS Saugerties debut of the new Marshall & Sterling League Division’s popular $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derbies (Weeks I, II, III, V, and VI) as well as the $10,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby (Week IV). The $10,000 Devoucoux Derbies are the perfect way for horses and riders to get accustomed to the uniquely formatted class as the fences are set at 3’3”.

Highly regarded hunter rider and trainer Amanda Steege of Bedminster, NJ, shared her thoughts on the new $10,000 Devoucoux Derbies. “I like the idea of these new 3’3 hunter derbies. I think they are really great, because I think they are a stepping stone for people to get started in the derbies and work their way up to the other ones without it being too intimidating for horses and riders, which is nice.”

As September nears and riders feel the Pfizer $1 Million purse getting closer and closer, HITS Saugerties will host 14 of the final 19 Grand Prix qualifiers, including a $50,000 Grand Prix Weeks I and IV, a $75,000 Grand Prix Weeks II and V, and a $125,000 Grand Prix Weeks III and VI, not to mention a $25,000 Grand Prix every Friday.

The three week HITS Saugerties Spring Series will take place May 27 through June 13. Entries for the Spring Shows at HITS-on-the-Hudson close on Wednesday, April 28. The HITS Saugerties Summer Series gets underway on Wednesday, July 21 and continues until August 8. Entries for the Summer Series close on Wednesday, June 23.

The 2010 HITS Saugerties shows will close out with three consecutive weeks of competition, September 1-19, with several exciting events to celebrate the season. First, HITS-on-the-Hudson Weeks VII (September 1-5) and VIII (September 8-11) will feature Wild Card Classes each week for nearly every Division for the Marshall & Sterling League Finals. Week VII will also feature two more Pfizer Million Grand Prix qualifiers. Week VIII recently received a CSI-W rating and will feature two FEI classes, including a World Cup Qualifier on Saturday, September 10, which will double as the Pfizer Million Wild Card Grand Prix and award the winner the chance to jump for the Pfizer Million on Sunday, September 12. Following the week of the Pfizer Million, the 20th Annual of the Marshall & Sterling National Finals will take center stage September 16-19, closing out the 2010 show season at HITS-on-the-Hudson. The Prize List for the Fall Series and the 20th Annual Marshall & Sterling League National Finals will be mailed over the summer.

In order to qualify for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, a rider must compete in eight or more HITS Grand Prix classes. The top 40 riders, based on money won by horse/rider combination, will be eligible to ride for the Pfizer Million. For more detailed information on the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, please visit our website at HitsShows.com.

For more information about HITS Saugerties, including entry blanks, prize lists, and schedules, please visit http://www.hitsshows.com.

To View The 2010 HITS Saugerties Spring & Summer Prize List:

Prize List | Schedule | Class Listing

For 2010 HITS Saugerties Spring & Summer Entry Blanks:

HITS-on-the-Hudson I: May 26-30 Entry 1

HITS-on-the-Hudson II: June 2-6 - Entry 2

HITS-on-the-Hudson III: June 9-13 - Entry 3

HITS-on-the-Hudson IV: July 21-25 - Entry 4

HITS-on-the-Hudson V: July 28 - August 1 - Entry 5

NY Horse & Pony Show (VI): August 4-8 - Entry 6

HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS will take the industry to new heights when it hosts the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties on September 12.

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