Scott Stewart with A Million Reasons at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo ©Sportfot.
The winner of the $50,000 U.S. Open Hunter Class will be awarded the inaugural Duchossois Cup in honor of the late Bruce Duchossois
New York, NY – Hunter riders will compete in the heart of New York City during the second-annual 2015 Rolex Central Park Horse Show on Sept. 26. The hunter competitions will feature a $1,000 Small/Medium Pony Hunter Class, $2,500 Junior/Amateur Class, presented by Meralex, and the $50,000 U.S. Open Duchossois Cup, presented by the Gochman Family.
Celebrating significant growth in 2015, the Rolex Central Park Horse Show has expanded with a more robust show schedule, growing sponsorships, and an impressive list of top equestrians ready to attend. The event generated more than 640 million media impressions in 2014.
A talented cast of the nation’s top Professional Hunter riders will compete against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. The Professional Class will include 10 riders for a two-round competition. The 10 riders for the $50,000 U.S. Open Duchossois Cup will be Louise Serio, Peter Pletcher, Jennifer Alfano, Kelley Farmer, Amanda Steege, Liza Towell Boyd, Scott Stewart, Maggie Jayne, Peter Wylde and John French.
Becky Gochman commented, “I attended the Rolex Central Park Horse Show last year and believed it was important to include the Hunter disciplines. This venue offers a great opportunity to showcase these great riders, horses and the hunter discipline. Our family is thrilled to support this competition and believe it will only grow in stature over the next few years.”
Scott Stewart added, “Having competed at Madison Square Garden many years ago, it is great to be able to return to compete in the heart of New York City. I am honored to be included in the Inaugural U.S. Open and am inspired to be the first winner of The Duchossois Cup. I am grateful to the Gochman Family for their support and sponsorship of the Hunter discipline.”
After the 2014 debut of the sold-out Rolex Central Park Horse Show, Mark Bellissimo, CEO of International Equestrian Group, LLC (IEG), is proud to welcome varying disciplines to this year’s event.
“Seeing the reach of this very special event extend to Hunters is exciting for the Rolex Central Park Horse Show,” he said. “We are very proud to present the best in horse sport across so many disciplines in an iconic U.S. location.”
Competitors interested in the Junior/Amateur and the Small/Medium Pony Hunter divisions should send inquiries to Pbellissimo@coth.com.
Rolex Central Park Horse Show Hunter Schedule:
Saturday, September 26th
10:00 AM – Matinee Performance
1:30 PM – U.S. Open Hunters Duchossois Cup
– $1,000 Small/Medium Pony Hunter Class
– $2,500 Junior/Amateur Class presented by Meralex
– $50,000 Professional’s U.S. Open Duchossois Cup, presented by the Gochman Family
The second-annual Rolex Central Park Horse Show will feature five days of multi-discipline equestrian sport. The schedule will include the inaugural U.S. Open in the following categories: Jumpers, Dressage, Hunters, U25 Jumpers, and Arabians. For a complete schedule, go to www.centralparkhorseshow.com.
Tickets are now on sale for all events at the 2015 Rolex Central Park Horse Show. There are only a few hundred tickets still available for the event and they are anticipated to sell out. Tickets can now be purchased at http://bit.ly/1AV2imv. To request table information in the Hospitality Tent, please e-mail Anne Caroline Valtin at vip@centralparkhorseshow.com or call 561-784-1133.
Additional information, including matinee performances, will be announced in the coming weeks on www.coth.com and www.centralparkhorseshow.com.
Media Contact:
Shin-Jung Hong
Nicholas & Lence Communications
ShinJung@nicholaslence.com
Tel: 212.938.0005
Equestrian Media Contact:
Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Lindsay Brock
lindsay@jenniferwoodmedia.com