SAUGERTIES, NY (January 14, 2010)—HITS is pleased to announce that Catena will return as the sponsor of the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider Award that honors the top High-Performance Rider on the 2010 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit and HITS Desert Circuit with a magnificent watch from Catena.
The time-honored standards of Swiss-watch making excellence have been synonymous with Catena since 1950. Catena continues that tradition by combining Swiss craftsmanship and artistry with the latest technology to design a collection of truly unique equestrian timepieces. Today, Catena benefits from the experience and knowhow of the third- and fourth-generations of a Swiss family of watchmakers. For more information on Catena, please visit www.catenausa.com .
Most recently, Catena sponsored the Leading Grand Prix Rider Award at HITS Saugerties, which was won by two-time Olympic Gold Medal Winner McLain Ward.
Ward, a native of Brewster, New York, will look to get a jump-start on the field in the 2010 Leading Rider standings on the West Coast as he is set to show at HITS Thermal during Desert Circuit II and Desert Circuit III. During the 2009 HITS Desert Circuit, it was Ashlee Bond that took home the Catena Watch after a tremendous run in the desert that included two victories in FEI World Cup Qualifiers in the covered arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park.
Highlighting the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit for the High-Performance Riders will be 16 Qualifying Grand Prix classes for the historic Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, which will take place on September 12 in Saugerties, New York. For the finale, HITS Thermal will close out the season with a big-money $300,000 Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Pfizer Animal Health on Sunday, March 14.
At HITS Ocala, Tracy Magness will look to repeat being the Leading Grand Prix Rider at HITS Ocala. Magness and her favorite Grand Prix mount Tarco Van Ter Moude won just about everything in sight en route to winning more than $100,000 in Grand Prix prize money at HITS Horse Shows in 2010.
“I love my Catena watch,” said Magness. “I wear it when I show! It adds a touch of class to my riding apparel.”
Show jumping returns to HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida for two consecutive weeks on Wednesday, January 20 with the Ocala January Classic followed by the Ocala January Festival on Wednesday, January 27.
HITS Ocala will feature 14 qualifying Grand Prix classes for the historic Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix as riders on the East Coast look to get a leg up on the competition.
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.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com
Media should contact the HITS Media Team at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com.
©Photo Provided
Tracy Magness is presented the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider Award by HITS' Account Executive For Corporate Sponsorship Lisa Engel at HITS Ocala in 2009.
