SAUGERTIES, NY – Less than two weeks after the conclusion of the second annual Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and first ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, HITS is pleased to announce that it will add a third extraordinary show jumping event to what has now become the richest weekend in the sport of show jumping.
Starting in January, equestrians from coast to coast will have another innovative offering from HITS to prepare and qualify for – the all-new $250,000 HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final. In the spirit of the $1 Million Grand Prix and Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, the HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final will take place September 8-9 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York and will be the culmination of 33 qualifying classes offered only at HITS Horse Shows.
“After seeing the response and success that we’ve had with the Million and the $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, it’s clear that these events are revitalizing the sport and exciting our customers,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. “With the addition of the $250,000 3’ Hunter Prix, we are creating new opportunities for an audience of riders who, until now, didn’t have the chance to compete in a year-end final of this magnitude. I feel strongly that, through these programs, we are rebuilding and establishing a new level of show jumping.”
Each of the five HITS circuits will offer weekly qualifiers for the all-new $250,000 HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final, with prize money ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 throughout the nine-month qualifying season. Starting in January with the Ocala and Thermal Winter Circuits, exhibitors will have the chance to get an early jump on qualifying for the HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final, as well as the 2012 installments of the $1 Million Grand Prix and Diamond Mills $500,000 HITS Hunter Prix Final.
The HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Ocala, Florida will host nine 3’ HITS Hunter Prix qualifiers, the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California and the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit in Tucson, Arizona will each host six qualifying classes. The HITS Culpeper and HITS Saugerties Spring and Summer Show Series will host five and seven qualifying classes, respectively. For a complete list of 2012 HITS Horse Show dates, please click here.
For the past three years HITS has continued to add to the prestige and ceremony of its Week VIII season finale at HITS Saugerties. “New York has always been an integral component of the annual show jumping calendar and I’m proud that we’ve been able to bring some of that excitement and tradition back to the state with an event that people work hard to qualify for and look forward to being a part of,” said Struzzieri. “With three of the biggest, most important classes of the season taking place in one weekend, we are seeing the birth of a new National Finals. It’s exciting to think about the potential of what this weekend will mean for the future of our sport.”
To keep the 3’ HITS Hunter Prix focused on its target audience, there will be significant cross entry restrictions for qualifying classes during the season as well as the Final. Detailed specifications and qualifying requirements will be available soon online at HitsShows.com.
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 once again offered the most innovative weekend in show jumping history in 2011 when it hosted the second annual Pfizer Million and the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, this fall at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.