Horses - Grand Prix Riders Autograph Signing Session at Indio Desert Circuit, Sunday, February 11, Following the $75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix - February 2001 - equiworld.net

HORSE SHOWS IN THE SUN

Grand Prix Riders Autograph Signing Session at Indio Desert Circuit, Sunday, February 11, Following the $75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix

INDIO, CA (February 9, 2001)--Following the $75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix Presented By HorseCity.com on Sunday, February 11, a Grand Prix Riders Autograph Signing Session will be held in the Grand Prix ring at HITS Desert Horse Park in Indio, California. After the winner of the Grand Prix is announced and the riders take their victory lap, the jump crew will bring tables and chairs into the ring and set up in front of a jump. The Grand Prix riders will spend time with their fans signing the Official Indio Desert Circuit Show Programs, Posters, and Calendars, as well as posing for photos. Spectators will be allowed to walk the Grand Prix Field and inspect the jumps.

Sunday is also the Indio Desert Circuit's annual Kids Day presented by Fox Kids Club and KDFX-FOX TV from 11am until 1pm. The Autograph Signing Session is an opportunity for children to speak with the riders and take home a souvenir. Kids Day is an annual event presented as part of the six-week Indio Desert Circuit hunter/jumper horse shows. Children 12 and under are admitted free and an adult accompanied by a Fox Kids Club member also enters at no charge. Prior to the Grand Prix event, kids will be treated to pony rides, face painting, a petting zoo, games, prizes, miniature horses, bouncy house, and crafts. A special demonstration in the Grand Prix field by the Santa Fe Hunt, complete with a pack of hounds and riders in full hunt attire, will be featured. Ice cream, hot dogs and a variety of snacks and beverages will be available. More than 1,000 kids and their parents attended last year's Kids Day.

The $75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix presented by HorseCity.com features top show jumping riders from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe competing for high-stakes prize money and a slot in the World Cup Final. The event is the second of four World Cup Final qualifiers to be held at the Indio Desert Circuit this year and it will be televised on ESPN 2 on Sunday, March 25 from 2:30pm to 3:30pm EST. The World Cup Final will be held in Goteborg, Sweden, in April.

HITS Desert Horse Park features competition Wednesday through Sunday from 8am until approximately 4pm. General admission on Saturday or Sunday is $5 for adults and no charge for children 12 and under. Parking is free at the new parking lot on the show grounds. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation headquartered in Riverside, California, will provide volunteers as ticket takers on Sunday, February 11 and will receive a percentage of the total ticket proceeds at the end of the six-week horse show.

HITS Indio Desert 2001 Show Jumping Action continues &
Circuit III February 7-11
Off Week February 14 - 18
Circuit IV February 21-25
Circuit V February 28-March 4
Circuit VI March 7-11
Featured Events:
$25,000 Ariat Grand Prix Every Fridaypm
$75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix of Indio
Presented by HorseCity.com Sunday, February 11 1pm
$50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix Sunday, February 25 1pm
$50,000 HITS Grand Prix Sunday, March 4 1pm
$50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge
Presented by The Chronicle of the Horse Sunday, March 11 8am
$150,000 Ford Grand Prix of the Desert Sunday, March 11 2pm
Special Day Events:
Kids Day
Presented by Fox Kids Club and KDFX Sunday, February 11 11am-1pm
Heritage Palms Seniors Day
Presented by KESQ TV3 & Palm Springs Follies Sunday, March 4 11am-1pm
Fiesta Day Sunday, March 11 11am-1pm