Bayer
Legend to Award Top Riders at All Five HITS Circuits
SAUGERTIES,
NY (January 16, 2003)--Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) announced today
that Bayer Corporation and Legend (hyaluronate sodium) Injectable
Solution, the only approved I.V. joint therapy, will sponsor the
top rider awards at all five HITS horse show circuits. The Bayer
Legend Leading Hunter Rider Award and the Bayer Legend Leading Jumper
Rider Award will be presented to the top horse and rider combinations
each week at the Indio Desert Circuit in California, Ocala Winter
Circuit in Florida, Arizona Winter Circuit in Tucson, HITS Culpeper
in Virginia, and HITS Catskills in New York.
The
recipients of the Bayer Legend Leading Hunter Rider and Leading
Jumper Rider awards will be presented with a Bayer Legend jacket.
This jacket will be similar to the jacket supplied by Bayer to the
United States Equestrian Team members who competed at the 2002 World
Games. Total points accumulated during the competition week will
determine the winners.
"Bayer
Legend is proud to partner with HITS, the country's leading producer
of hunter/jumper horse shows," said Allyn Mann, Equine Products
Manager, Bayer Corporation. We are especially pleased to be able
to recognize those talented riders who represent the top hunter
and jumper riders in the country, riders who most surely are legends
in the making."
Tom
Struzzieri, owner and president of HITS, is delighted to welcome
Bayer Legend as an official sponsor of the HITS horse show circuits.
"Over the years, Bayer Legend has demonstrated its overall
commitment to the veterinary profession and the equine industry.
This commitment has also extended to the promotion and advancement
of equestrian sport. It is most appropriate that a company of such
caliber be the sponsor of awards for the leading hunter and jumper
riders of the sport. We are proud to announce the Bayer Legend Leading
Hunter Rider Award and the Bayer Legend Leading Jumper Rider Award
for all of our circuits, and we are certain that our riders are
equally excited by this new prospect."
In
addition to the individual rider awards, Bayer will also sponsor
the $75,000 Bayer/USET Grand Prix on Sunday, February 9, 2003 at
the HITS Indio Desert Circuit, California. The competition is a
World Cup qualifying class and some of the leading jumper riders
in the country will participate. Last season's winner was John Pearce
of Canada on Harry Potter.
Bayer
Animal Health, the maker of Legend (hyaluronate sodium) Injectable
Solution, is a worldwide leader in parasite control and prescription
pharmaceuticals for dogs, cats, horses, cattle and poultry. U.S.
operations for Bayer Animal Health are headquartered in Shawnee,
Kansas.
Best
known for its flagship product, Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Corporation
produces a broad range of health care, crop protection, polymer
and chemical products that help diagnose and treat diseases, purify
water, preserve local landmarks, protect crops, advance automobile
safety and durability and improve people's lives.
Headquartered
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bayer Corporation had sales of $10.1
billion in 2001 and is one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies.
The company employs 21,500 people. It is a member of the worldwide
Bayer Group, a $27 billion international health care and chemicals
group based in Leverkusen, Germany. The Bayer Group stock is a component
of the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker
symbol: BAY).
HITS
is the largest producer of hunter/jumper horse shows in the U.S.,
operating five show grounds nationwide-the Indio Desert Circuit
in California; Ocala Winter Circuit in Florida; Arizona Winter Circuit
in Tucson; HITS Culpeper in Virginia; and HITS Catskills in New
York. In the fall of 2003, HITS will introduce the New Marshall
& Sterling League National Indoor Finals to be held at Worcester's
Centrum Centre, Worcester, Massachusetts.
ww.HitsShows.com
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