22 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2011
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Tom Struzzieri Announces
$250,000 HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final
By Danette Kadlic
If equestrians want good news about
advancements in American show jumping all
they need to do is wait for September to come
around and HITS is sure to deliver. For the
third year in a row, HITS President and CEO
Tom Struzzieri made a major announcement in
September regarding next year’s competition,
serious prize money and an innovative new
offering for equestrians.
In 2009 it was the announcement of the frst
ever Pfzer $1 Million Grand Prix. In 2010, just
weeks after the conclusion of the debut
Pfzer
Million
, which was lauded as a major
hit
by
equestrians from around the world, it was the
jaw-dropping announcement of a $500,000
3’3” Hunter Prix Final. And this year, less than
two weeks after the conclusion of the second
annual
Pfzer Million
and frst ever Diamond
Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, Tom did it
again with the unveiling of a $250,000 HITS
3’ Hunter Prix Final. Mark your calendars for
September 7-9, 2012 and book your travel to
Saugerties, New York where this trio of show
jumping fnales will make up the single richest
weekend in the sport of show jumping.
Further thickening the plot, Tom also
revealed plans to move the Marshall & Sterling
League’s Junior Medal from the National
Finals to the same weekend to create an all-
inclusive championship for the top riders from
all levels of the sport.
Tom has a history of turning heads and
generating excitement. With more than 30
years of managing successful horse shows
under his belt, he is making some bold
moves to take American show jumping to
the next level and to bring a major National
Championship series back to New York where
the crème de la crème of hunters, jumpers and
equitation riders will come to compete.
“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 with an event that people work hard to
qualify for and look forward to being a part
of,” said Tom. “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
what this weekend will mean for the future of
our sport.”
One thing’s for certain, the future sure looks
bright with some enticing year-end goals on
the 2012 competition calendar for hunters,
jumpers and equitation riders!
H
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HITS President & CEO Tom Struzzieri smiles for the camera at the Diamond
Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final press conference where he frst broke the
news of the $250,000 3’ Hunter Prix Final.
All photos by ESI Photography
New Jersey’s Missiaen Jenkins and her own
Caro Z
competing in the $2,000
Adult Working Hunter Stake at the 2011 Marshall & Sterling League National
Finals at HITS-on-the-Hudson. In 2012, HITS will offer the $250,000 3’ HITS
Hunter Prix Final in conjunction with the $1 Million Grand Prix and Diamond
Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final on the weekend of September 8-9 in
Saugerties.