The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show featured more than 200 classes of hunter, jumper and equitation classes for approximately 1,500 horses and riders of all ages and abilities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marty Bauman, 508-698-6810 x10; marty@classic-communications.com

Bridgehampton, NY – September 6, 2019 – The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show featured more than 200 classes of hunter, jumper and equitation classes for approximately 1,500 horses and riders of all ages and abilities. They competed in six beautifully manicured show rings across 65 acres. Riders from ten nations – including Olympic and World Cup champions – competed in five FEI classes, culminating in a brilliant win by Canada’s Olympic and World Cup veteran, Mario Deslauriers. What made this win even more special was that his daughter, Lucy, finished second.

Mario Deslauriers winner of the $300,000 DOHA.INC Grand Prix (c) Shawn McMillen

Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam won the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge as the Classic's leading open jumper rider for the third time in the seven years the Classic has presented the award. Sweetnam received a stunning LONGINES timepiece and a check for $30,000. Sweetnam also received a Longines watch for winning Saturday’s $72,000 LONGINES Cup. Since he won four Longines watches at the Hampton Classic in 2018, he was asked who were the lucky recipients of all of his watches? His answer (very smartly) was: “My mother is next in line!”

Shane Sweetnam winner of the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge (c) Shawn McMillen

Located near the Hamptons’ famed beaches, restaurants, nightclubs and boutiques, the Hampton Classic is a celebrity hot-spot. Among those in attendance at this year’s Classic were Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco, Howard Buffett, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Joel, Gabby Karan de Felice, Donna Karan, Brooke Shields, and pro football Hall of Famer and television star Michael Strahan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (c) Lenny Stucker

Across the board and throughout the week, the consensus from riders and officials alike was how fantastic the newly-renovated and rebuilt Grand Prix field was after the million dollar investment from the Hampton Classic. Top international course designer and Olympic silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC, was effusive in his praise of the renovation.

Brooke Shields and her daughter Grier Henchy (c) Kristin L Gray

“Allen Rheinheimer and the committee did an incredible job,” he commented. “The foundation is solid, and the grass needs maybe one or two years to mature perfectly, but it’s really on the right track. The horses jumped incredibly well all week. In a year or two, this venue will have some of the top footing in the world as far as grass is concerned.”

The competitors echoed the sentiments of Vaillancourt. Olympic silver medalist Peter Leone said, “It felt like jumping on a tumbling mat. There was life and spring to it – it was just so exciting to ride on a field like that!” Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward said: “It was perfect. Absolutely spot on. Not a single blade of grass was out of place.”

The Deslauriers family had extra celebrating to do after this particular Hampton Classic. Mario’s daughter, Lucy, who just returned from being part of the U.S. bronze-medal winning team at the Pan American Games, had a stellar week at the Classic. She followed a win on Friday in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier with her second-place finish in Sunday’s marquee event. Lisa Deslauriers (wife of Mario and mother of Lucy,) a past Grand Prix and USET competitor, is Chairman of the Board of the Hampton Classic.

Course Designer Michel Vaillancourt built a challenging course at the maximum height of 1.60m, including a triple combination which took the competitors nearly the entire length of the packed VIP tent. The tough course was a true test of ability, resulting in just three of 39 combinations progressing to a jump-off round.

The start order for the class was determined by the final placings in Friday’s $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier, which meant the better you did Friday, the later in the order you went on Sunday. Lucy Deslauriers had the luxury of being the final rider to go in the jump-off; American team gold medalist from the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Devin Ryan with his WEG mount Eddie Blue went first, sandwiching Mario Deslauriers in the middle.

The jump-off course consisted of eight efforts, in a series of S-curves across the ring from side to side, and a long gallop down to the last fence headed toward the in-gate. Ryan misjudged the striding to the second fence and Eddie Blue had it down. They were able to hold it to just the four faults, crossing the timers in 42.66 seconds.

Next to go, the senior Deslauriers executed a masterful pivot turn with Bardolina from the third fence in front of the VIP tents, to cross in front of the open water, then across the field to the Hermès oxer at fence four. They were slightly off Ryan’s time, but they kept the jumps up to finish on a clean score in 42.82 seconds.

Last to go, Deslauriers’s 20-year-old daughter also took the inside turn with long-time partner Hester, and with his effortless galloping stride they easily had the best time, finishing in 39.60. However, in a heartbreaking turn, they pulled the top rail on the final fence, to finish second on a score of four faults.

“I got a little excited,” admitted Deslauriers as she recounted her jump-off round. “If I had it to do over again, I would have pulled a little harder to the last fence.”

Lucy Deslauriers and Hester in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier (c) Shawn McMillen

When asked what he was thinking as he watched Lucy follow him in the jump-off, knowing that if she had a rail, he would win the class, Mario replied: “Lucy won on Friday so today was my turn! Seriously, she and Hester make a great pair, and I know they are very quick. I did what I had to do to put a little pressure on her.”

Mario Deslauriers received beautiful new timepiece courtesy of LONGINES for his win, as well as a check for $99,000.00 and a beautiful award of a large-format bottle of Whispering Angel wine from Chateau D’Esclans. Lucy’s check was for $60,000.

FEI and Open Jumper Highlights

The Open Jumper division began with the $30,000 Land Rover Jumper Challenge presented by Jaguar. Team gold medalist from WEG 2018, Adrienne Sternlicht, took the top spot riding Fantast. Molly Ashe-Cawley finished second with Berdien and third went to Geoffrey Hesslink with HH Casey Jones.

Michael Levitan, President of Jaguar Land Rover Long Island, makes the presentation to Adrienne Sternlicht in the

$30,000 Land Rover Jumper Challenge presented by Jaguar © Shawn McMillen

Tuesday morning’s two $10,000 1.40m Open Jumper competitions saw 65 horses vying for prize money. Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, finished on top in section A with new mount Silberrose – so new this was their first time in the competition ring together. Ward had to settle for second in section B with Up Des Chaines, behind his 2018 WEG gold medal teammate Adrienne Sternlicht, again riding Fantast.

Continuing her winning streak, Adrienne Sternlicht took the $10,000 Wölffer Estate Open Jumper 1.40m class on Wednesday morning, again with Fantast. Ireland’s Richie Moloney repeated his 2018 second place finish in this class, this time riding Merqusio. Molly Ashe-Cawley finished third with Berdien.

Due to inclement weather Wednesday afternoon, the start of the FEI division was postponed to Thursday morning. Brianne Goutal-Marteau finished on top in the $10,000Palm Beach Masters Power & Speed with Zernike K. Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam finished second with Kirschwasser SCF and third went to Hardin Towell with Tupac van de Vrombautshoeve Z.

Goutal-Marteau raved about how the footing held up so well following Wednesday’s rain. “I jumped on Sunday in the first big class and the ground felt amazing – we turned and burned and were able to go very fast. Yesterday I watched a video on the Hampton Classic’s Instagram account of the amount of water the new drainage system was pulling off this field, after inches of rain, and today you would barely know it. You hear it a tiny bit as you’re on course that it’s a little wet, but you can still go fast, you can turn and nobody’s slipping. After more than 50 horses in this class there’s barely a mark on the field.”

In Thursday’s $40,000 FEI Speed Stakepresented by Lisa & Mario Deslauriers and Lynn Tarnopol, Brazil’s Luiz de Azevedo rode Collin to victory, a horse he had rescued from slaughter five years ago. He took a risk on Collin and then took a risk in the class, leaving out a stride to the last jump to stop the timers in 63.48 seconds. America’s Catherine Tyree finished second and third with her pair of greys BEC Lorenzo and Catungee, with times of 66.39 and 66.76 seconds respectively.

Victoria Birdsall took the top spot in Friday’s $10,000 SHF Enterprises 7 & Under class. She rode Maestro Van Het Binnenveld to the win in a time of 35.419 seconds. With Friday’s win and consistent results in Tuesday and Wednesday’s classes, Birdsall and Maestro Van Het Binnenveld were crowned Champions in the SHF Enterprises 7 & Under Jumper division. Reserve went to Brianne Goutal-Marteu and Goodwill V/D Coefering.

Young superstar Lucy Deslauriers rode her longtime partner Hester to the win in Friday’s $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix-Qualifier CSI4* Presented by LONGINES. Andy Kocher was second with Carollo and Canada’s Amy Millar was third with Truman.

In the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4*, Irish Olympic veteran Kevin Babington fell and suffered a spinal cord injury in his neck. The equestrian community has rallied around the Babington family and started a fundraising effort to help with Kevin’s medical expenses. Anyone interested in supporting this effort can make a donation on Facebook at Sissy's Medical Fundraiser for Kevin Babington https://www.facebook.com/donate/508000833102520/2806644266031223/ or at https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-kevin-babington-and-family.

"Kevin is one of the most beloved riders on our horse show circuit and we are all pulling for him. We remain hopeful of a complete recovery,” said Shanette Barth Cohen, the horse show’s Executive Director "I do want to commend the first responders on the scene. They reacted quickly and handled the situation professionally."

The precision of Longines timing really came into play as Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam made it a three-peat in the $72,000 LONGINES Cup, Saturday. Sweetnam, who won the class in 2017 and 2018, won this year with Kirschwasser SCF in a time of 39.16 seconds. American ladies finished in second and third. Catherine Tyree and BEC Lorenzo were just three one-hundredths off the lead in 39.19 seconds, and Adrienne Sternlicht finished just behind on Toulago in 39.25 seconds.

Shane Sweetnam won the $72,000 LONGINES Cup (c)Shawn McMillen

Junior, Adult, Children and Amateur-Owner Jumpers

Canada’s Bronte Gray-Rochon won the $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Show Jumping Derby on the final morning of the Classic with mount Williamstown Guidam. Second place went to French rider Agathe Van Gysel and Duc Des Tourelles Z and third went to Choe Field with Tess de Jalesnes. In addition to winning the Derby, Gray-Rochon was awarded the Amateur-Owner 1.40 Jumper championship. The reserve championship went to Van Gysel. The $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Show Jumping Derby is a member event of the Hollowbrook Wealth Management Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series.

Ned Cunniffe was awarded the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Style of Riding Award. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Style of Riding Award is presented to the Junior Jumper rider who best exemplifies the American style of equitation, as modeled by Show Jumping Hall of Famers such as Conrad Homfeld and Joe Fargis.

Dagny Mactaggart topped a seven-horse jump-off to win the $15,000 Carolex Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Second went to Ava Ellis with Quivive SZ and third to Kathryn Hall with All in 9. The $12,500 Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic was won by Virginia Ingram riding Esprit. Ingram was presented with the Firefly Trophy, donated by Philip Richter of Turnabout Farm in honor of Christophe de Menil. Mimi Gochman took top honors in the $12,500 Junior Jumper Classic, with Avoloma BH.

Following two phases of testing, the $10,000 Equitation Championship Presented by the Palm Beach International Academy was won by Ava Ellis of Annapolis, MD. Second place went to the 2018 winner, Mimi Gochman of Palm Beach, FL. Earlier in the week, the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search sponsored by The Atlantic Bridgehampton was won by Elli Yeager of Wellington, FL.

$10,000 Equitation Championship Presented by the Palm Beach International Academy winner Ava Ellis (c) Shawn McMillan

Showcasing Top Hunters at the Classic

Stephanie Danhakl gave it her best shot but couldn’t quite repeat her clean sweep of the top three places in the $10,000 Hermès Hunter Classic from 2018. She had to settle for first, second and sixth instead, in the final hunter competition of the Hampton Classic horse show. Ella Bikoff and Cabrio took third.

Stephanie Danhakl won the $10,000 Hermès Hunter Classic (c) Shawn McMillen

Scott Stewart and Everwonder were Grand Hunter Champions. Stewart was named Leading Hunter Rider, receiving the Charlie Weaver Memorial Trophy. The Best Junior Rider on a Horse with accompanying Kathy Scholl Trophy was presented to Jordan Allan, and Best Junior Rider on a Pony went to Emma Hakim, who received the Horse Haven Trophy. Elli Yeager was named Best Junior Equitation Rider. Trained by Missy Clark and John Brennan, she was awarded the “Gordon Wright Trophy,” sponsored by the friends of Gustav Leidlof.

Scott Stewart and Everwonder crowned Grand Hunter Champions (c) Shawn McMillen

Becky Gochman and Catch Me took the championship in the Hunt Ltd. Amateur Owner 3’6” 36+ hunter division, while the championship for the Human Touch Amateur Owner 3’3” 36+ division went to John Ingram and Airport. Ingram received a Human Touch massage chair in addition to a trophy and cooler.

Becky Gochman and Catch Me winner of the Hunt Ltd. Amateur Owner 3’6” 36+ hunter division (c) Shawn McMillen

Opening Day is ‘Local Day’ at the Hampton Classic

As always, the Hampton Classic’s Opening Day was a spectacular showcase for top local competitors. The day began bright and early in the Grand Prix ring with the smallest of the week's competitors, Leadline riders ages two-to-four, followed by the group for ages five-to-seven.

Hotly contested with nearly a hundred entries, these immaculately presented young riders and their mounts had the honor of being judged by Olympic gold medalist and Show Jumping Hall of Famer, Joe Fargis of Middleburg, VA. Broken into sections, it took a ride-off to determine the winners

The Classic's annual Leadline class kicked things off on Opening Day (c) Vicci Valenti

Following the introduction of officials and welcoming the Classic’s official charity partner, the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, a very special award was handed out, prior to the start of the $30,000 Land Rover Jumper Challenge presented by Jaguar. The Long Island Sportsmanship Award was presented to Raquel Batto. Ms. Batto emigrated from Argentina with a degree in veterinary medicine, achieved citizenship and worked her way up from groom to stable manager to rider and finally USEF certified instructor with her own thriving business.

Opening Day also hosted the $10,000 Marders Local Hunter Derby in the beautiful Anne Aspinall hunter ring. The starting field competed in the first ‘Classic Style’ round, after which the top 12 returned for the ‘Handy Hunter’ round. Holly Orlando rode Cathy Zicherman’s True Story to a combined score of 91 points, besting Geoffrey Hesslink on Curo’s two-round score of 90 points.

Special Events and Awards

Now in its 14th year, the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities (LIHSSRD) Championship Finals Presented by BNB Bank were held on Monday. Nineteen riders across three divisions competed for the year-end titles.

Isiah Forte winner of the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities (LIHSSRD) Championship Finals Presented by BNB Bank (c) Vicci Valenti

The Classic’s 9^th annual Animal Welfare & Adoption Day, sponsored by Gotham Enterprizes with support from the EQUUS Foundation, was held on Monday. Rescue dogs, cats and horses from a variety of animal rescues and shelters on Long Island and beyond were in attendance. Thirteen local and regional rescues for small and large animals & equines took part, raising awareness around adoption, with cats and dogs being screened and adopted on-site.

Saturday at the Classic was Kids Day Presented by News 12 Long Island,always one of the most popular days for families at the Horse Show. Children under 12 from Long Island and all around the New York metropolitan area enjoyed free admission, complimentary pony rides, animals, games, music, exhibits and educational activities, as well as complimentary colored pencil sets courtesy of News 12 Long Island. Kids also participated in a ‘Horseless Horse Show’ to benefit JustWorld International.

Children enjoyed pony rides, animals, games, music, and exhibits during Kids Day presented by News 12 Long Island (c) Vicci Valenti

The Hampton Classic showcased beauty not only in the show rings, but across all areas of the spectacular 65-acre show grounds, including the luxurious Agneta Currey Boutique Garden and Stable Row, featuring more than 80 vendors. The blue ribbon for Best Boutique went to Polished Coconut, with second going to Stick & Ball and third to Long Island Yarn & Farm. The judges were award-winning actress, Brooke Shields; CEO of Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Greg Unis; President of the New York Academy of Art, David Kratz; and acclaimed architect and designer Steven Gambrel.

The Hampton Cottages & Gardens Table Décor Awards were presented Sunday, with tables in the two VIP tents decorated in spectacular fashion. First place was awarded to the table of Whispering Angel/Chateau D’Esclans. Second went to Bridgehampton Florist and third to CMC Bridge.

For complete horse show results and more information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177.

Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. Join us in 2020 when the Hampton Classic returns, August 23-30.

Hampton Cottages & Gardens Table Décor winner Whispering Angel/Chateau D’Esclans (c) Vicci Valenti photo

The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show featured more than 200 classes of hunter, jumper and equitation classes for approximately 1,500 horses and riders of all ages and abilities. :: The Hampton Classic

The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show featured more than 200 classes of hunter, jumper and equitation classes for approximately 1,500 horses and riders of all ages and abilities.

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