Eight-day schedule begins with the Second Annual Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic and concludes with $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix

Bridgehampton, NY—May 26, 2004—The Hampton Classic Horse Show, one of the nation’s premier show jumping competitions, returns to Bridgehampton, Long Island, NY, for its 29th year with an exciting lineup of social events and equestrian competitions. The Hampton Classic Horse Show begins on Sunday, August 29 and culminates with the excitement of the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, on Sunday, September 5. The Hampton Classic is a benefit event for Southampton Hospital.

“The 29th edition of the Hampton Classic promises to be yet another great week of outstanding equestrian competition featuring some of the worlds finest riders,” stated Tony Hitchcock, Executive Director of the Hampton Classic. “And we are very hopeful that some of these riders will be returning to the Hampton Classic from the Olympic Games in Athens sporting medals for the U.S. Team.

“Our week will again kick off with the Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic, which we launched last year in collaboration with the Long Island Wine Council,” Hitchcock noted. “It was a great beginning to what we hope will become a tradition on our show grounds. What better way to celebrate the end of the summer than with the best of Long Island—its wineries, its agriculture and the great equestrians at the Hampton Classic!”

Long Island Wine Classic, Saturday, August 28

The Second Annual Long Island Wine Classic will feature tasting stations presented by thirty different Long Island vineyards and food from more than 25 restaurants from Long Island and Manhattan in a Grand Tasting from 5:30 to 8:30 pm under the VIP tents of the Hampton Classic. The Wine Classic will again benefit three East-End hospitals — Southampton Hospital, Central Suffolk Hospital and Eastern Long Island Hospital. The 2003 Wine Classic raised $33,000 for the three hospitals.

The event will feature a special “Connoisseur’s Silent Auction” that will include an impressive array of travel packages, kitchen appliances, wine accessories, and other luxury groupings. Proceeds from the Silent Auction will also benefit the three hospitals. The Hampton Classic’s Boutique Garden will be open during the Wine Classic to permit wine tasting guests to visit and shop at the Classic’s 36 boutique stores prior to the Grand Tasting.

2004 Hampton Classic Horse Show Highlights

Sunday, August 29
The $20,000 David Yurman Time Challenge, a show jumping competition that debuted last year, is the featured event of The Manhattan Mortgage Company’s Opening Day at the Hampton Classic Horse Show.

As title sponsor of the Time Challenge, David Yurman, the renowned jewelry designer and long-time sponsor of the show, further strengthens his commitment to the Hampton Classic. Opening Day Ceremonies presented in the Grand Prix Ring will also feature horses and hounds of the Smithtown Hunt and other attractions.

Monday, August 30
There is no competition on Monday, August 30, however spectators are invited to come and watch horses and riders in schooling sessions, and to shop in the Boutique Garden or visit the World of the Horse™ Exhibition Tent and Show Yard where children can pet a llama or miniature horse and visit the rescued parrots and farm animals housed there. There is no admission charge on Monday.

Tuesday, August 31
Tuesday’s events include Amateur-Owner, Junior, and Open Jumpers, and Green Working Hunters and Children's Hunters, as well as the $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Children's Hunter Classic and the BET/USET Show Jumping Talent Search.

Wednesday, September 1
Round one of the 5 and 6 year old East Coast Young Jumper Championships takes place on Wednesday, and competition continues in Amateur-Owner, Junior, and Open Jumper sections. Adult Amateur and Children's Hunter classes are also featured, as are the Green and Regular Working Hunters.

Thursday, September 2
The week’s jumper competition continues with Round two of the East Coast Young Jumper Championships as well as Adult Amateur, Children’s, Amateur-Owner, and Open Jumpers. In addition, there will be Regular and Adult Amateur Hunters, and Junior Hunters. $5000 Amateur-Owner Jumper (low) Classic, and the $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Adult Amateur Hunter Classic are also scheduled. Equitation classes feature the National PHA Equitation and the U.S. Equestrian Medal.

Friday, September 3
Friday features a day of qualifying events in the Grand Prix Ring in which top show jumpers vie for slots in Sunday’s exciting Grand Prix Ring competitions. Starting at 8:30 a.m. is the Show Jumping Derby Welcome Stake, a qualifier for Sunday’s Calvin Klein Talent Derby, followed by the $30,000 Adequan® Grand Prix Qualifier, which qualifies the thirty top horse-and-rider pairs to compete in Sunday’s $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix.

Other highlights include the Washington International Equitation Jumper phase, the U.S. Equestrian Pony Medal, and the NHSAA/ASPCA Maclay.

Saturday, September 4
The eighth annual Cablevision’s Kids Day/Dia de Los Ninos, presented by Hoy, features plenty of activities for children and parents. Cablevision’s Kids Day takes place at the World of the Horse™ Exhibition Tent and Show Yard located behind the main grandstands.

Children can gather around Alcazar the Magician to witness his sleight of hand. The Great Rubini will create balloon animals and paint children’s faces. Children can learn a few tricks themselves as the National Circus Project teaches juggling, plate spinning and stilt walking. There will be free pony rides for children under 12.

Several Hispanic acts will perform on stage as part of the Classic’s ongoing salute to the growing Latin American population on Long Island. The bilingual booklet Careers in the Horse Industry/Carreras en la Industria Equina and a bilingual horse coloring book — The World of the Horse/El Mundo del Caballo — will be distributed free to young people attending the Classic. A special award will be given to an individual of Hispanic descent who has made a significant contribution to the horse industry. Children under 12 will be admitted free.

Featured events on Saturday include the $20,000 5-year-old and $30,000 6-year-old Young Jumper Championship Finals, the $25,000 Sally Hansen Grand Prix, the $15,000 WGHR Farm Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, the seventh annual $10,000 CK Equitation Championship, and the Pony Hunter Classic. The Jumper Ring also features the U.S. Equestrian Zone 2 Medal Championship and the Marshall & Sterling Adult Amateur and Children’s Jumper Classics.

Sunday, September 5
Sunday’s festivities at the Hampton Classic begin with the $30,000 7-year-old Young Jumper Championship Finals. The Young Jumper Finals will award a total of $80,000 in prize money in three divisions – 5-year-old, 6-year-old, and, new this year, 7-year-old. These Finals will be followed by the $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby. The Hampton Classic Horse Show’s grand finale — the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix takes place at 2:00 p.m. in the Grand Prix Ring. The Prudential Financial Grand Prix is a qualifying event helping to determine which U.S. horses and riders will qualify to ride in the 2005 Budweiser World Cup Final in Las Vegas next April.

Awards presentations take place on Sunday, including a gold and silver David Yurman belt buckle and a jeroboam of Louis Roederer Champagne to be awarded to the Prudential Financial Grand Prix winner. Last year, McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, became only the third rider in history to win the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix for a third time when he rode Hurricane to victory on the closing day of the 2003 Hampton Classic Horse Show.

Shopping and Dining - In addition to great equestrian competition taking place each day simultaneously in five rings, spectators at the Hampton Classic Horse Show 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 a children’s area open throughout the week.

Admission and General Information - Competition runs from Sunday, August 29 through September 5 with a break in competition on Monday, August 30. Admission is $10 per person or $20 per carload, with children under 6 admitted free. Reserved grandstand seating for Sunday, September 5 is $15 per person (in addition to regular admission) or $25 per person in the special Premium Seating center sections. Parking is free throughout the week.

For more information on Wine Spectator’s Long Island Wine Classic or the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177.