Saugerties, NY  — The purpose of Pfizer Million Weekend will be two-fold this year as the world’s richest day in show jumping also falls on the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. While handing out the biggest purses that the sport of show jumping has ever seen, HITS will also take time to remember the heroes of September 11, 2001.

Following the pinning of the first ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final Champion, HITS will welcome the cadets of the West Point Military Academy Color Guard and Equestrian Team to escort the American Flag into the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix Stadium. A group of five West Point cadets will set the mood to the tune of the National Anthem as riders, spectators and HITS staff alike take a moment to remember the events of the 2001 attacks.

“Many of the cadets who now attend West Point are doing it because of what happened that day,” said Sherry Cashman, coach of the West Point Equestrian Team. “It is a meaningful way for them to be honored for that as well as have the chance to participate in an event of this caliber.”

The West Point cadets will be joined, this year, by local servicemen and women, visiting the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds as honored guests. Uniformed fire, police and ambulance personnel from Saugerties and the surrounding region will be thanked and celebrated as they march alongside the West Point Cadets into the Grand Prix stadium.

Just a car-ride away from lower Manhattan, emergency service organizations in the Hudson Valley region heard the call for help on September 11, 2001. Many local groups donated time, manpower, supplies and equipment to the rescue and rebuilding efforts.

“We are fortunate to be able to recognize that day as a united country and proud to support our emergency servicemen and women,” said Greg Helsmoortel, supervisor for the Town of Saugerties. “HITS’ Pfizer Million Weekend is a perfect example of our country’s ability to overcome adversity and prosper, while showing total respect to those we have lost.”

Following the commemoration ceremony, the return of the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix will welcome Olympians, equestrian legends and rising stars to the show rings to compete for $1 million in prize money. The weekend will be capped by a live performance by Motown legends, The Temptations, presented by the Bardavon. The public is welcome to join HITS on September 11, 2011 for the first ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony, the Pfizer Million and The Temptations concert.

General admission tickets are on sale now at the Bardavon, UPAC, and HITS box offices and at Ticketmaster. Tickets are $20 in advance for general admission festival seating and $25 at the gate, which includes admission to all events. Children 12 and under are admitted free.

Purchase tickets through the Bardavon Box Office, 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, 845.473.2072 or through the UPAC Box Office, 601 Broadway Kingston, 845.339.6088 or through the HITS Box Office, 319 Main Street, Saugerties, 845.246.8833 or through Ticketmaster 800.745.3000, Ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call 845.246.8833 or visit HitsShows.com or Bardavon.org.

For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit HitsShows.com . Stay connected with HITS, join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

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 took the industry to new heights when it hosted the first-ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. HITS will once again offer the most innovative weekend in show jumping history in 2011 when it hosts the second annual Pfizer Million and the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, September 10-11, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.

Media should contact the HITS Media Team at 845.246.8833 or e-mail [email protected].