Hampton Classic Announces New Competition and Special Events for 2003

• Eight-day schedule begins with the First Annual Long Island Wine Classic and concludes with $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix

• Show grounds enhanced with a relocated exhibition area and a new Mercado

Bridgehampton, NY—May 23, 2003—The Hampton Classic Horse Show, one of the nation’s premier show jumping competitions, returns to Bridgehampton, NY for its 28th year with an expanded calendar of events and equestrian competitions. The Classic is a benefit event for Southampton Hospital.

In collaboration with the Long Island Wine Council, the Classic will kick off on Saturday, August 23 with Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic—a one-day event featuring an afternoon tasting of wines from twenty-four Long Island vineyards and an evening paired-wine dinner and auction. Both events benefit three East-End hospitals and are open to the public who purchase tickets in advance.

Officials of the show also announced a new Opening Day show jumping competition in the Grand Prix Ring—the $20,000 David Yurman Time Challenge. This marks the first time that show jumping will be held on the Classic’s Opening Day and was made possible by David Yurman—the Official Jewelry and Timepiece Designer of the Hampton Classic. The Classic’s Exhibition Horse Tent & children’s activity area has been moved to a new, more central location directly behind the Boutiques Garden. The horse show will add a new Mercado at the Classic, a marketplace for local Hispanic artists and craftsmen, in this family-focused area.

Once again the Classic’s weeklong schedule will conclude with the excitement of the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, on Sunday, August 31. Among the nation’s top show jumpers expected to compete in qualifying classes leading up to the Prudential Financial Grand Prix are members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team — Nona Garson, Margie Goldstein-Engle, Lauren Hough and Laura Kraut — as well as other former Olympians Norman Dello Joio (1980 and 1992), Anne Kursinski (1988, 1992, and 1996), Joe Fargis (1984 and 1988), Leslie Burr Howard (1984 and 1996) and Peter Leone (1996).

“We are very pleased to once again host an event that will include some of the most exciting hunter and jumper riders ranging from young children up to Olympic medalists and World Cup Champions from the United States, Canada, South America and Europe.” stated Anthony F. Hitchcock, Executive Director of the Hampton Classic. “But our event is also a wonderful attraction for visitors of all ages to the Hamptons and Eastern Long Island. Our World of the Horse Exhibit™ Area has been relocated and expanded to include a mini-Mercado. The new site offers families easier access to the pony rides and petting zoo and to the Boutiques Garden and Grand Stands.

“We try to offer something for everyone--from Opening Day right through Seniors Day, Fiesta Day, and Kids Day to the excitement of Grand Prix Sunday. And what a great pleasure to kick off this year with the first ever Long Island Wine Classic, an event that will showcase the rich talent and resources of our region—28 vineyards of the North and South Forks of Long Island and some of the Island’s top chefs and freshest produce, seafood and poultry,” Hitchcock continued. [A special release announcing details of the Long Island Wine Classic will be issued after June 1.]

28th Hampton Classic Opening Day Highlighted by
$20,000 David Yurman Time Challenge

The $20,000 David Yurman Time Challenge, a new show jumping competition for the Hampton Classic, will be the featured event of The Manhattan Mortgage Company’s Opening Day, presented by Distinction Magazine.

As title sponsor of this event, David Yurman, the renowned jewelry designer and long time sponsor of the show, further strengthens his commitment to the Hampton Classic. (More details about David Yurman and the David Yurman Time Challenge will be released in the next few weeks.)

Opening Day Ceremonies presented in the Grand Prix Ring will feature the horses of the Smithtown Hunt and for the second year in a row, the Adequan® Little Classic dog agility competition. Last year nearly 40 dogs and owners participated in the Adequan® Little Classic.

Seniors Day, presented by 50 Plus Senior News

Thursday, August 28 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.

“An Evening of Shopping in the Boutique Garden” will again be a part of the Thursday schedule. From 5:00 to 7:00 pm, guests will be invited to enjoy music and refreshments while browsing and shopping in the Classic’s unique marketplace showcasing over fifty, shops, artists, and craftsmen.

Dia de Fiesta 2003/ Fiesta Day 2003 Presented by Hoy

Friday, August 29, is Fiesta Day presented by Hoy, the New York-based Spanish language daily newspaper. Hoy, now the second largest Spanish daily newspaper in the U.S., will be the presenting sponsor of the Classic’s third annual Fiesta Day, an event devoted to the celebration of the culture and tradition of its Latino participants and the growing Hispanic community on Long Island. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free on Fiesta Day and there are free pony rides courtesy of Sally Hansen Cosmetics.

The Classic has planned an even bigger and more colorful day celebrating the diverse cultures of the more than 23 Spanish-speaking countries around the world. A new mini-Mercado in the relocated exhibition area will open on Fiesta Day for the last weekend of the show and will include displays of arts and crafts by Latino and Hispanic artists and merchants.

As part of its Fiesta Day tradition, the Classic will again present its Special Achievement Award to a Hispanic individual who has made a significant contribution to the horse industry.

Friday’s show jumping competition will be highlighted by the top riders of the sport, competing in the $30,000 Adequan® Fiesta Day Grand Prix, the qualifying event for Sunday’s $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix.

Fiesta Day 2003 will be a day filled with fabulous ethnic food, great music, and special riding demonstrations paying tribute to the gaucho and charro traditions of South and Central America.

Fiesta Day will also mark the publication debut of the second edition of the Hampton Classic’s The World of the Horse/El Mundo del Caballo, a bilingual coloring book featuring line drawings of horses by leading artists from the area. A bilingual booklet—Careers in the Horse Industry/Carerras en la Industria Equina—also will be given free to young people attending the Classic on Fiesta Day.

Cablevision Kids Day

Saturday, August 30, is Cablevision Kids Day presented by Long Island Parents & Children magazine. This family friendly day features free admission for children under 12 as well as an array of activities sure to please kids of all ages. Kids Day competition is highlighted by the $25,000 Sally Hansen Grand Prix, the $15,000 W.G.H.R. Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, as well as the $2,500 Children's Jumper Classic and the $2,500 Pony Hunter Classic for junior riders under the age of 18.

There will be many interesting animal exhibitions designed to educate and entertain in the World of the Horse™ Exhibition Tent and Show Yard. Performers of The National Circus Project will be on hand to teach the basics of juggling, plate-spinning, and stilt walking; the Classic Kids-Teaching-Kids program will teach hands-on pony care and Alcazar the Magician will entertain young and old. The dog agility trainers will be teaching kids pet care while the petting zoo offers kids the opportunity to learn about rescued farm animals, exotic parrots, and even llamas and alpacas. Free pony rides for children again will be offered courtesy of Sally Hansen Cosmetics.

A Thrilling Conclusion: Grand Prix Sunday!

Sunday, August 31, is Hampton Classic Grand Prix Sunday and will once again bring out sporting enthusiasts, celebrities, and dignitaries from around the country to participate in a day that is often called “the end of the summer season in the Hamptons!”

Competition on Grand Prix Sunday will include the $30,000 Young Jumper Championship Finals and the $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby for riders under the age of 21.

At 2:00 p.m., the thirty best riders will compete for the biggest prize of all at the Classic, the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, which is the first event determining which United States show jumping riders will qualify to ride in the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) Show Jumping 2004 World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Prudential Financial Grand Prix is a member event of the King Shavings/U.S. Grand Prix League (USGPL).

In addition to the prize money, the winning Grand Prix rider receives a one-of-a-kind gold and silver championship belt buckle and a David Yurman watch, both designed by the Classic’s Official Jewelry and Timepiece Designer David Yurman. The Grand Prix winner also receives a jeroboam of Louis Roederer Champagne. The show jumping rider that has shown the best Style of Riding throughout the week, in the opinion of the judges, will be awarded an Antarès Sellerie de France saddle.

Admission Information
Competition runs from Sunday, August 24 to Sunday, August 31, with a break in competition on Monday, August 26. Admission is $5 per person or $15 per carload, with children under 6 admitted free. Reserved grandstand seating for Sunday, August 31 is $15 per person (in addition to $5/person or $15/carload admission) or $25 per person in the special Premium Seating center sections. Parking is free throughout the show week.

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, Stable Row’s 20 booths, three on-site public restaurants, and the kids area open throughout the week. For more information on the Hampton Classic and Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic be sure to visit the website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call 631-537-3177.