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SAUGERTIES, NY (August 4 2009) – HITS-on-the-Hudson VI
proved to be the home for the hunters when the 2009 USEF Junior Hunter
Championship--East Coast, $10,000 USHJA/Chronicle of the Horse
International Hunter Derby and $5,000 Pony Commotion all took place in
one action-packed week at HITS-on-the-Hudson, in Saugerties, New York.
Highlighting
the week was Champion Danielle Cooper riding her mount Amalfi to the
Grand Championship during the 2009 USEF Junior Hunter
Championship--East Coast.
Last year's winning rider, Jennifer
Waxman, was named this year’s Overall Reserve Champion riding Glass
Castle. When the Finals were complete, Waxman took home the War
Dress Memorial Trophy awarded to the top-finishing mare.
In the
$10,000 USHJA/Chronicle of the Horse International Hunter Derby, Angelo
proved that he is one of the top hunters around when Katie Dinan rode
him to the blue. The pair got the best of 46 starters on a
course set by Rian Beals, of Saugerties, New York, in the Grand Hunter
Ring. “Angelo is the best hunter in the country,” said Dinan’s trainer
Steve Weiss. “A lot of people will tell you the same thing. He is a
fantastic jumper and has a great style.”
Last but not least,
Taylor Ann Adams continued her blue ribbon roll at HITS-on-the-Hudson
when she guided the O'Mara Family's Franklin’s Tower to the title in the $5,000 Pony
Commotion. Adams, who has won everything in sight over the past
few weeks, can add this victory to a resume that already included a
win in the 2009 Essex Classics/USHJA Hunterdon Cup. The
16-year-old is no stranger to the Pony Commotion, as she won the same
crown at HITS Ocala this past winter.
©Lili Weik Photography
Katie Dinan and Angelo on course in the $10,000 USHJA/Chronicle of the Horse International Hunter Derby at HITS Saugerties.
©Lili Weik Photography
Taylor Ann Adams and Franklin's Tower pair up to win the $5,000 Pony Commotion at HITS Saugerties.
©Lili Weik Photography
Danielle Cooper and Frank Madden enjoy a moment in the winner's circle after Amalfi and Cooper were named this year's Grand Champion 2009 USEF Junior Hunter Championship--East Coast.
©Lili Weik Photography
USEF’s Lauren Fahey presents Jennifer Waxman with the 2009 War Dress Memorial Trophy. Waxman and Glass Castle also captured the Overall Reserve Champion title
Welcome Back Beezie!
World-renowned show jumper
Beezie Madden returned to HITS-on-the-Hudson for the first time since
2004 and announced her presence with a victory in the $125,000 Strongid
C 2X Grand Prix to cap off the summer series of horse shows in the
Hudson Valley.
Madden’s return to HITS Saugerties added the Olympic Gold Medal winner to a list of impressive High-Performance
Riders that called HITS Saugerties home for the summer. Fellow
Olympians McLain Ward, Anne Kursinski, Chris Kappler, Nona Garson and Leslie Burr
Howard all showed in the majestic Grand Prix Ring at HITS-on-the-Hudson
in 2009.
Former Olympic Alternate, Todd Minikus, also spent
several weeks at HITS Saugerties where he won two Grand Prix classes
and finished third, fourth and fifth in Sunday’s $125,000 Strongid C 2X
Grand Prix.
©Lili Weik Photography
Beezie Madden is joined by Kristin Ruff, Product Manager for Pfizer US
Equine Health, Rebecca Pitcher, Media Manager for Equine Resources
International and HITS' Lisa Engel and Tony Hitchcock after winning
Sunday's feature class.
Watch and Learn!
With just two Grand Prix
classes remaining at HITS Saugerties in 2009, two-time Olympic Gold
Medal Winner McLain Ward held off a late run from Todd Minikus and
clinched the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider Award.
The rider
rankings are calculated using the World Cup Point System and riders
receive points for their top-placing horse in each of the 14 Grand Prix
classes offered at HITS Saugerties during the 2009 show series.
Ward
will receive a timepiece from Catena, USA, which will be presented at
the end of the season following the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix during
HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII on Sunday, September 6. For a complete list of
the standings, click here.
©Photo Provided.
This year's HITS Saugerties
Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider will be officially announced and
presented with this beautiful timepiece during Week VIII at HITS
Saugerties.
Maryland’s Tracy Magness still sits on top of the USGPL Standings
Tracy
Magness made the trip to HITS-on-the-Hudson VI to compete in the big
ticket $125,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix. Even though she didn't finish
in the money this time around, Magness still holds a tight grip on the
top spot in the USGPL Standings.
Other Saugerties riders topping the list include McLain Ward with
$67,500 in second place, Todd Minikus with $49,750 in third place,
Leslie Burr Howard with $37,250 in seventh place followed by Bill
Lowry, Margie Engel and Callan Solem to round out the top ten.
At the moment it seems
unlikely that any rider can catch up to Magness and Mr. and Mrs. John
Bartko’s Tarco Van Ter Moude,
who have held the number one spot since basically the start of the
year. Thanks to nearly $100,000 in Grand Prix prize money won in 2009
at HITS Ocala, Culpeper and Saugerties, Magness is looking to hold onto
her lead and the coveted last-to-go spot when the Invitational rolls
around; however, with two more qualifying Grand Prix classes in
Saugerties and two in Culpeper there's still a chance for an upset. For
a complete list of the standings, click here.
©Lili Weik Photography
Tracy Magness leads the way in the USGPL Standings.
Something Special
As always, HITS Saugerties
was filled with special events that delighted exhibitors. On Thursday,
July 16, trainers were treated to a special “by-invitation-only” party
at New World Home Cooking Co. Ric Orlando’s fabled Route 212 eatery has
recently been re-launched with a new focus on two of Ric’s favorites –
seafood and barbecue.
Friday, July 24 marked the return of
the popular HITS Saugerties Fashion Show, presented by DIG. The fashion
show featured fine equestrian apparel from the vendors at HITS
Saugerties, as well as some trendy apparel from DIG, a fashion-forward boutique in the Village of Saugerties.
Finally,
during HITS-on-the-Hudson VI, exhibitors grabbed their running shoes
and had a run to remember during the HITS Saugerties Summer Sunset Run,
presented by Platinum Performance.
Nearly 20 runners took to the course set by HITS President and CEO Tom
Struzzieri. Taking top honors in the race were Joe Ottati of Leeds, New
York in the males and Germaine Edelmann of Rexford, New York in the
females.
Alexandra Beyrer of Setauket, New York was one of several female
exhibitors to participate and even though she didn't win, she had
praise for the event. "My husband and I loved this event. I drag him to
horse shows all the time and it was great for us to be able to do
something fun together at a show. It was a really fun, well-run event
and I hope they do this every year!"
©Photo Provided
Glenview Stables' Christina Kalinski models at the DIG Fashion Show during the HITS Saugerties Summer Show Series.
©Photo Provided
Susan Fox and daughter Grace. Grace is the inspiration behind the
Spicy Pony and Collection for kids that Fox designed. Fox is a
HITS competitor and found her inspiration for the clothing line at HITS.
©HITS Staff
The awards on display before the HITS Saugerties Summer Sunset Run, presented by Platinum Performance.
©HITS Staff
Candace Dobson of ViaGen,
Frank Chapot and Kathleen McNulty in the HITS Saugerties VIP
tent. Frank Chapot owns the clone to world famous Gem
Twist. The colt, Gemini, is kept at Chado Farm owned and operated
by Frank and Mary Chapot.
©HITS Staff
USHJA Wine Tasting Benefit
took place the final day of the Junior Hunter Finals in the VIP
tent. All proceeds were donated to the USHJA’s Capital
Campaign for Growth. Wild Horse Winery and Vineyards and Ste. Michelle
Estates provided the equestrian themed wines.
Show
jumping action at HITS Saugerties now takes a short break and will
resume later this month with HITS-on-the-Hudson VII (August 26-30) and
HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII (September 2-6). These two final weeks of the
HITS Saugerties Show Series will feature a full schedule of classes,
including two more Grand Prix events, which are both qualifiers for the
$100,000 USGPL Invitational and the Catena Leading Rider Award, and
Marshall & Sterling League Wild Card classes for the upcoming
National Finals, which will take place September 10-13. During Week
VIII, HITS will also host the IJF Regional Finals and the Zone II USEF
Medal Finals. Entries for Weeks VII and VIII close on Wednesday,
August 5. For more information, including a copy of the prize list,
please visit HitsShows.com.
HITS, Inc. is a special events
management company primarily focused on producing hunter/jumper horse
shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS
produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982.
Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with
world-class hunter/jumper circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New
York and Virginia.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com.
Media should contact Chris Mayone at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com.
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