The Classic Company’s Summer Series is Revised and Revamped
NOVEMBER 29, 2007— The Biltmore Summer Classic is packing up its saddlebags and heading south.
Bob Bell, President of the horse-show management firm The Classic Company, announced today that the two-week hunter/jumper event, held since 1999 on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC will move to the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA for 2008.
Bell cited rotations in the spring show schedule as the primary reason for the show shift.
“When The Devon Horse Show moved up to Memorial Day Weekend, others followed, changing their dates, too.” said Bell. “This closed in on our shows [Atlanta Summer and Biltmore Summer]. And the proximity of dates caused our two-week events in June and July to become unbalanced in terms of the number of exhibitors, which was not cost effective for either the Classic Company or our faithful exhibitors,” Bell added. “It was a very difficult decision, but knowing the rotation of dates would continue in 2008, we had to do something.”
The Atlanta Summer Classics I-IV will now kick off June 18th 2008 at the GIHP and conclude on July 27th. The four-week prize list will “feature a whole new look and size with $450K in prize money and awards,” said Bell. Significant sums will go to increasing the cash flow in the Jumper Divisions as well as in the Pre-Green Hunter Divisions. In addition, for the 2008 Series Georgia’s state-of-the-art facility will offer 690 permanent stalls, 300 temporary stalls, seven all-weather rings, and an all-new vendor area featuring 25 merchants.
Other exciting additions are also on the roster, including: A $5,000 Pre-Green Hunter Classic to be contested during week II; a WCHR event caps off the action of week III; and Week IV will offer a thrilling $2,500 Junior Hunter Grand Poobah Championship. Regular exhibitors and attendees can also look forward to the return of such popular staples as the annual charity event “Horses Helping Horses,” highlighted by the $25,000 Outback Steakhouse Grand Prix (week II), the Supreme Kahuna Pony Classic (week III), The “Horseless” Horse Show (week IV), and of course, The Unbridled Affair cocktail party, which is open to all exhibitors (week III). This year’s theme it still to be announced.
In all, more prizes, more prize money, and more exciting Grand Prix action.
While some have expressed some concern about the rising temperature in “Hot” –lanta during the summer months, Bell assures there will be no issue. “The GIHP was chosen as the 1996 Summer Olympic site because it was the coolest part of Atlanta ” he noted, “It is still cooler than Culpepper in July (home to HITS shows) and Kentucky in August (site of the Kentucky Nationals).
The Atlanta Summer Classics are a four-week USEF AA Rated Hunter-Jumper event that showcases some the sport’s finest equine athletes from across the nation. Spectators are invited to attend free of charge with competition running Wednesday through Sunday of each week beginning at 8am until approximately 5pm, with the highlight being the Grand Prix events, which will begin at 2pm each Sunday afternoon.
To learn more about The Atlanta Summer Series please visit www.classiccompany.com or call the office at 843.768.5503. To book hotel or condo reservations please contact Connections at 800-262-9974.
Flashpoint Media Services, based in Harrodsburg , KY , is a comprehensive public relations firm specializing in the equestrian sports. For additional information contact Cynthia Grisolia, 347-423 7322, [email protected] or Robbi Meisel, 859-734 3713, [email protected].
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