PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 13, 2007

Hail to the King: Candice King and Tarco capture the $75,000 In The Woods Log Homes Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties

SAUGERTIES, NY (August 13, 2007) — Candice King and her mount Tarco negotiated the fastest double-clear round on course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio's route to score the blue ribbon in Sunday's $75,000 In The Woods Log Homes Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties.

D'Ambrosio sliced the field down from 23 combinations to seven for the jump-off. King, who was sixth to go in the jump-off, collected $22,500 in prize money for owner Joan Kalman. Kalman had a birds-eye view of King's triumph, as she watched the featured class from the VIP Pavilion that overlooks the Grand Prix amphitheater.

"It was our first win here," said Kalman, who was at the in-gate to congratulate King after the win. "Candice was very patient with Tarco and has done a fabulous job riding him. I couldn't ask for a better rider."

Tarco is 11 years old and Kalman has owned him for about five years. Tarco was injured last year and has only been back in the ring since May.

First to go in the jump-off was Judy Garofalo Torres and her mount Oliver III. They made it all the way home clean in 46.836 to set the pace right off the bat. That time proved to be good enough for second place as Garofalo collected $16,500 in prize money for Higher Ground Farms, Inc.

Next to go in the jump-off was Nona Garson and her mount Languster. The duo had eight jumping faults and finished in seventh place. Becky Johanson-Hoffmann and her trusty mount Corona were third to go in the jump-off and only had one rail down. Johanson-Hoffmann grabbed the yellow ribbon for her third-place finish for Blue Hill Farm.

Ramiro Quintana and Sydney went fourth in the jump-off and also had one rail down. The pair secured fourth place for owner Kathryn Quirk. Olympian McLain Ward and his mount Quo Vadis were next to go in the jump-off and had two rails down, which earned them sixth place and $3,000 for Sagamore Farms.

Sixth in the jump-off order were King and Tarco who executed the jump-off round to perfection stopping the clocks in 46.185 to set the new Great American Time to Beat.

Darragh Kerins and Orlando, were sitting in the envious last-to-ride spot. The pair had heartbreak at the final hurdle and finished with four faults. Their time of 45.444 would have been good enough for first place if the last rail had stayed up. Instead, Kerins settled for fifth place.

"It was a great ending to three fantastic weeks of horse shows," said D'Ambrosio. "The footing was perfect and the horses all jumped terrific. Darragh gave it a good try, but in the end it was a day for the ladies."

The top three finishers were all female riders with King and Tarco taking first, followed by Garofalo Torres and Oliver III, and Johanson-Hoffmann and Corona, respectively.

With the victory, King earned some valuable points putting her right in the thick of things for the USGPL Standings. The top-30 USGPL pairs will be invited to compete in the $100,000 USGPL Invitational Grand Prix, which will be held at HITS Culpeper during the USGPL Finals on Sunday, September 30.

HITS offers four more qualifying Grand Prix classes for the $100,000 USGPL Invitational Grand Prix this summer at its HITS Saugerties and HITS Culpeper equestrian facilities. The next two chances to qualify will be at HITS Culpeper when show jumping returns to Commonwealth Park on August 22 for two back-to-back weeks.

The summer series of horse shows at HITS Saugerties concludes with one final week of show jumping and two more chances to qualify for the Invitational, beginning on September 5 at HITS-on-the-Hudson VII. The Marshall & Sterling League Finals return September 13-16 when acclaimed singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega will be performing for the Year-End High Point Awards Celebration that will be catered by Tavern on the Green Catering.

HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with world-class hunter-jumper circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.

For more information on the HITS horse shows and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com

© 2007 Lili Weik Photography  
Candice King and Tarco win the $75,000 In the Woods Log Homes Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties

© 2007 Lili Weik Photography
Candice King is joined in the ring after her victory by HITS' Senior Vice President Tony Hitchcock and HITS' Account Executive for Corporate Sponsorships Lisa Engel after the $75,000 In the Woods Log Homes Grand Prix.

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Farnam Adult Hunter 18-35 - Instant Replay, ridden and owned by Kimberly Gumble, Beach Lake, PA

Farnam Adult Hunter 36-45 - King of Scotts, ridden Valerie Primavera and owned by Brianna Tetrault, Northport, NY

Farnam Adult Hunter 46 & Over - Lanaken, ridden and owned by Audrey Allen, Beverly Farms, MA

M&S Children's Hunter Classic - Horse - Lalique, ridden and owned by Alexandra Carlton, Madison, CT

M&S Children's Hunter Classic - Pony - Pendleton's Sly Fox, ridden and owned Francesca Bellantuon, Wayne, NJ

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$15,000 Child/Adult Jumper Championship - Catalyst, ridden and owned by Adrienne Sternlicht, Greenwich, CT

$25,000 Jr/A-O Jumper Championship - Radio Flyer, ridden by Holly Shepherd and owned by Anne Marie Walker, Mobile, AL
 

HITS CORPORATE OFFICE: HITS, Inc., 319 Main Street, Saugerties, NY 12477-1330
phone 845.246.8833  fax 845.246.6371  www.HitsShows.com