Jessica Springsteen, 14-year-old daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, was in a recent equestrian competition at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, and brought her famous father along to watch, according to Horse Shows in the Sun spokesman John Eickmann. Eickmann said Jessica was treated just like any other competitor and that HITS didn't make a big deal about the Boss being there. "We like to permit any celebrity customers to have privacy when they are at the show grounds," Eickmann said.

COMPETING in a junior event with riders up to age 18, the rock star's progeny did quite well, said Kristen Vale, another HITS employee. "She was going against kids who were all riding longer than she has been," Vale said. Jessica placed among the top three finishers in the jumper and hunter portions of the competition, which ran from July 19-23, and won $780.

Jessica Springsteen trains with Frank and Stacia Madden at Beacon Hill Stables in Colts Neck, N.J., and is no stranger to competition, according to the Web site www.bridleandbit.com. In June, she took first place in the Wachovia Jumper Classic in New Jersey, the site said.

JESSICA'S rock star dad - known for such songs as "Born to Run," "Thunder Road" and "Dancing in the Dark" - also showed up in Kingston during his Hudson Valley visit, dining last Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Portobello on John Street. Chef Paul Traficanti said Springsteen enjoyed chicken and pasta dishes with Jessica one night, and returned the next night with wife Patti Scialfa, the flame-haired singer/guitarist who often accompanies her husband on stage. The two recently completed a late-spring concert tour with Springsteen's Seeger Sessions Band.

SPRINGSTEEN, 56, and Scialfa have two other, children, Evan, 16, and Sam, 12, and make their home in New Jersey, a constant source of inspiration for Springsteen, who refers fondly to his home state in many of his lyrics. But unlike his high-energy stage persona, the rocker was laid back and relaxed at Portobello, where "no one bothered him," Traficanti said, though a few waitresses scored autographs.

And it looks like Springsteen will perform an encore to his local visit. "He promised he will come back to see us when he's in town again," Traficanti said.