The
Hampton Classic Horse Show Returns
Bridgehampton,
NY-April 17, 2002-The annual Hampton Classic Horse Show, one of
the nation's premier show jumping competitions, returns to Bridgehampton,
NY for its 27th year on August 25 - September 1. The Classic, which
benefits the Southampton Hospital, hosts exciting hunter/jumper
competition from junior levels up to the pinnacle of the sport,
grand prix show jumping.
First
Rate Equestrian Competition
The top riders of the sport, including Olympic medalists and World
Cup winners, will compete in Friday's $30,000 Adequan Fiesta Day
Grand Prix, a prelude to the grand finale of the horse show-the
$150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix. The $30,000 Adequan Grand
Prix, one of 10 classes held on the East Coast that determine which
show jumpers qualify for the following April's World Cup Final,
will also determine the top thirty riders who get to compete in
Sunday's Grand Prix.
As always at the Classic, the competition will be fierce. Expected
to compete are members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Nona Garson,
Margie Goldstein-Engle, Lauren Hough and Laura Kraut, as well as
Olympians Norman Dello Joio (1992), Anne Kursinski (1988 and 1996),
Joe Fargis (1984), Leslie Burr Howard (1984 and 1996) and Peter
Leone (1996). In addition to the prize money, the winning rider
receives a watch from Rolex, the James Walsh Perpetual Trophy, a
jeroboam of Champagne from Louis Roederer, and a one-of-a-kind gold
and silver championship belt buckle designed by David Yurman. As
an added attraction for riders, if the same horse and rider win
both Friday's Adequan Grand Prix Qualifying Class and Sunday's Prudential
Financial Grand Prix, that rider will take home a
$100,000 bonus check. To date, no rider has captured the back-to-back
victories needed to claim this special prize, but all eyes will
be on Friday
's winner during Sunday's Prudential Financial Grand Prix to see
if he or she can be the first to claim the Hampton Classic Bonus
Challenge.
Other prestigious classes held throughout the week are the $50,000
Eastern Finals of the Young Jumper Championships, the $25,000 Calvin
Klein Show Jumping Derby for riders under the age of 21, the $15,000
W.G.H.R. Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic and the $25,000 Sally Hansen
Grand Prix. The $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby is a member
event of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series which
determines which junior and amateur/owner riders will qualify to
ride at the 2002 National Horse Show.
Exciting
Activities and Entertainment
In addition to the competition taking place each day simultaneously
in five rings, spectators will be treated to a variety of other
exciting exhibits, including the Boutique Garden's 36 vendor booths
and three on-site public restaurants. For kids, the World of the
HorseT Exhibition Tent and Show Yard offers hands-on activities
including pony rides, petting farm, Companion Dog Care and a Kids-Teaching-Kids
program of pony care. For evening entertainment, spectators can
take advantage of the nearby famous Hampton beaches, nightclubs,
restaurants, and boutiques.
Don't
Miss Special Days
This year's Hampton Classic will host special days starting with
The Manhattan Mortgage Company's Opening Day and The World Of The
HorseT, presented by Distinction Magazine & L.I. Parents and
Children. The special World of the HorseT Opening Day ceremonies
will take place in the Grand Prix Ring immediately following the
Leadline Classes held for riders under the age of 8. The ceremonies
feature an educational parade and demonstrations of various horse
breeds.
Thursday at the Hampton Classic is Seniors Day, presented by 50
Plus Senior News, the greater New York monthly devoted to the area's
half-million senior residents. Senior Citizens will be admitted
free to the Classic and can enter the Classic's free drawings for
great prizes donated by Seniors Day sponsors and many of the Classic's
other sponsors and boutique vendors. Friday is Celebrity Cruises'
Fiesta Day, presented by Avis. Celebrity Cruises' Fiesta Day is
the Hampton Classic's salute to its Latino participants and the
growing Hispanic community on Long Island. A day filled with fabulous
food and great music, Fiesta Day will include special
riding demonstrations that pay tribute to the gaucho and charro
traditions of South and Central America and Mexico. In addition
there will be a special bilingual "Careers in the Horse Industry"
booklet developed especially for Fiesta Day. All children under
12 are admitted free and there will be free pony rides for children
and a variety of career day exhibits from corporate sponsors wishing
to publicize their commitment to diversity in the workplace. The
Hampton Classic's second annual Special Achievement Award will be
given to a Hispanic individual who has made a significant contribution
to the horse industry.
Finally kids can look forward to Saturday's CableVision Kids Day.
Cablevision's Kids Day features The National Circus Project with
performers teaching kids the basics of juggling, magic and stilt
walking. There are many equine exhibitions and educational projects
incorporating the animals from the petting farm-llamas, alpacas
and miniature horses. The Classic Kids-Teaching-Kids program features
hands-on pony care. Kids under 12 are admitted free and receive
a complimentary pony ride. There will be drawings for prizes. Featured
classes on Saturday for junior riders under the age of 18 include
the $2,500 Children's Jumper Classic and the $2,500 Pony Hunter
Classic. The Grand Prix Ring main events are the $15,000 W.G.H.R.
Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic and the $25,000 Sally Hansen Grand
Prix.
Admission
Information
Competition runs from Sunday, August 25th to Sunday, September 1st,
with a break in competition on Monday August 26th. Admission is
$5 per person or $15 per carload, with children under 6 admitted
free. Reserved grandstand seating for Sunday, September 1st is $15
per person (in addition to $5/person or $15/carload admission).
Parking throughout the show is free.
For more information on the Hampton Classic be sure to visit the
website at www.hamptonclassic.com
or call 631-537-3177.
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