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Seven-time Hampton Classic Grand Prix champion McLain Ward and defending champion Daniel Bluman head an impressive list of entries from 13 countries for the 46th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show, which returns August 28-September 4 with a full schedule of world-class equestrian competition offering more than $1 million in prize money.
Five-time U.S. Olympian McLain Ward has won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix a record seven times and hopes to add to his record in the featured event. Always a top contender on the international stage, Ward has earned four Olympic medals (Team Gold in 2004 and 2008, Team Silver in 2016 and 2021), competed in four WEG (earning Team Silver in 2006, Team Bronze in 2014 and Team Gold in 2018), and taken home two Gold medals from the Pan American Games (2011, 2015). He also won the LONGINES FEI World Cup™ Finals in 2017.
Ireland’s Richie Moloney also hopes to reclaim the Hampton Classic Grand Prix title. With eight FEI Nations Cup and multiple Grand Prix wins under his belt, Moloney claimed victory in the 2016 Hampton Classic Grand Prix and has won the Classic’s LONGINES Rider Challenge as the overall leading rider on four occasions, more than anyone else.
Returning to the Classic after his Grand Prix win in 2019, three-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers will not make things easy for his fellow athletes, including his daughter Lucy who placed second to him in 2019. Deslauriers is a three-time WEG and two-time Pan American Games competitor and remains the youngest rider ever to win the FEI World Cup™ Final, a title he won in 1984 at age 18.
Among the other international veterans set to compete in this year’s Hampton Classic is Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, one of the most decorated riders in show jumping history. Among Pessoa’s achievements are six Olympic Games (winning Team Bronze in 1996 and 2000 and Individual Gold in 2004), six WEG (including Individual Gold in 1998), and 13 FEI World Cup™ Finals (including three consecutive titles, 1998-2000). He is the only rider to win the World Cup™ Final three consecutive years.
Three-time Olympian Beat Mändli of Switzerland also brings many Grand Prix titles to the Classic. His career spans three WEG, nine FEI World Cup™ Finals, and five European Championships (including Team Silver in 1999 and Team Bronze in 2003). He won the World Cup™ Final in 2007.
The Hampton Classic features more than 200 competitions in six spectacular show rings, the Agneta Currey Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its world-class 60-acre show grounds. Offering more than $1 million in prize money, the Classic is highlighted by the $410,000 Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4.
Looking to defend his 2021 Grand Prix title against other international competitors is Daniel Bluman, who rides for Israel and will return to this year’s Classic with last year’s winning mount, Gemma W, alongside other horses for both the 2* and 5* competitions. Bluman has competed in two Olympic Games, three FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), and two Pan American Games, leaving his mark on the international stage with many successes at the Grand Prix level.
The Hampton Classic’s FEI competition begins Thursday, September 1, with the $10,000 Citarella Open Jumper CSI2* and $37,000 Hampton Classic 5* Speed Stake and continues throughout the weekend with seven 2* and 5* classes. FEI competition also includes Friday’s $37,000 Wölffer Estate 2* Jumper Classic and $74,000 Douglas Elliman 5* Grand Prix Qualifier, Saturday’s $74,000 Hampton Classic 2* Grand Prix and $74,000 5* LONGINES Cup and the culminating $410,000 Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4. Alan Wade serves as Grand Prix Ring course designer
The Hampton Classic continues to support several charitable organizations including Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, the Kevin Babington Foundation and Sag Harbor Food Pantry. Everyone who comes to the Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday with three or more non-perishable food items for the Sag Harbor Food Pantry will have their entire car admitted free.
Daily admission to the Classic is $20 per carload (cash at the gate only). Admission is free on Monday; seniors and military are also admitted free on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Grandstand tickets for the $410,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4, are $55 per person for reserved bucket seating. Grandstand tickets are electronic only; E-Tickets are provided thanks to support from Green is the New Blue.
The Hampton Classic is pleased to continue its relationship with ShowNet by offering its services FREE to all exhibitors. Services include: Orders of Go; Live Ring Status; and Live Results.
Each year approximately 50,000 people come to watch the nation’s best equestrian athletes compete at the Hampton Classic. Rated USEF ‘Premier-6’ for hunters and jumpers with designated FEI 2* and 5* classes, the Hampton Classic features more than 200 competitions in six spectacular show rings, the Agneta Currey Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its world-class 60-acre show grounds. Offering more than $1 million in prize money, the Classic is highlighted by the $410,000 Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4. For more information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic online at hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.
For those who can’t make it to the show grounds, complimentary live webcasts of all Grand Prix ring competitions air on the Hampton Classic website, produced by ClipMyHorseTV and courtesy of LONGINES. ClipMyHorseTV is also producing a live webcast of all Anne Aspinall ring competitions, available for free on the Hampton Classic website, thanks to Pacaso. In addition, WVVH-TV, Hamptons Television, broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day during the Classic. These broadcasts can also be seen online at www.wvvh.tv.
You can keep up with updates by following us on twitter @hamptonsmedia and bookmarking our People & Parties pages for full write-ups and videos and interviews…or even use the rss feed on this blog! You can find handy links to both The Hampton Classic plus lodging and/or dining from Westhampton to Montauk on “The Hamptons”.com
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