Lorcan Gallagher of Ireland guided Esquina Van Klapscheut to the top of the $20,000 Royalton Farms Jumper Challenge at the Hampton Classic. (McMillen photo)
Gallagher's time of 32.07 seconds was more than a second faster than Todd Minikus on Paratrooper (33.13 seconds) and Wilton Porter on Patriot (33.87 seconds).
Minikus, a U.S. team veteran, had ridden just before Gallagher in the 12-horse jump-off, and he'd set a mark that looked hard to beat. But Gallagher, riding at the Hampton Classic for the third year in a row since moving from Ireland, decided to take a shot for his first victory at the show on the 11-year-old, Belgian Warmblood mare. He said that the difference was their bold leap over the final oxer.
"I think it was one of those rounds where everything just came up fast. And I got a little lucky to the last fence," said Gallagher, 24. "The mare is very quick and very efficient in the air, and I don't have to worry too much about strides [between the jumps].
"I didn't walk a number [between the last two jumps], but I knew after Todd had gone so fast that I had to take a chance. I saw it luckily from a good few strides away. That's something that it's either there or it's not--a little bit of luck, I suppose."
Gallagher has ridden Esquina Van Klapscheut for several years for owner Alexander DeVries, who's in college right now and unable to ride. Working for Spy Coast Farm, Gallagher lives in Wellington, Fla., in the winter and Lexington, Ky., in the summer.
Gallagher competed in Ireland on ponies, but then he stopped riding to play soccer. "I wasn't the most successful junior rider, but then my parents bought me a pretty good horse, and I got a taste of winning again, " he said.
After spending two years in college, Gallagher moved to the United States at age 20 and went to work for fellow Irishman Shane Sweetnam. "I love it here. If you work hard, anything is possible," he said. He rode on a Nations Cup team in Florida last winter, the first time he'd ridden on any Irish team.
"It's extra-special to win here at the Hampton Classic. You're jumping against some of the best in America, and Europe too, so I feel pretty privileged to be here with a horse that can compete," said Gallagher. "It feels amazing to win a big class here."
Irishman Paul O'Shea and Abigail McArdle of Wellington, Fla., rode to victory in the morning's two timed first-round jumper classes.
O'Shea scored in the $10,000 Open Jumper on Primo Calypso (54.52 seconds), beating Sydney Shulman on Toscane De L'Isle (56.11 seconds) and Sweetnam on Main Road (58.38 seconds).
McArdle grabbed the $10,000 Shamrock Ventures Open Jumper on Cosma 20 (52.16 seconds), over Emanuel Andrade on Belita (53.24 seconds) and Amanda Derbyshire on Lady Maria Bh (55.36 seconds).
By finishing third in the $20,000 Royalton Farms Jumper Challenge, Wilton Porter of Bartonville, Texas, grabbed the first-day lead in the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge. Porter placed in all three of the day's classes, to total 83 points.
Sweetnam, the only other rider to earn points in all three classes, is second with 69 points, and Derbyshire is third with 65 points. Richie Moloney, the 2013 and 2014 Longines Rider Challenge winner, is lurking in fourth place with 55 points.
Gallagher, O'Shea and McArdle are tied for sixth with the 50 points they each earned for their victories.
More About the Classic
The Hampton Classic, the prestigious culminating event of the Hamptons' famed summer season, runs August 23-30 in Bridgehampton, NY, hosting its 40th year of world-class equestrian competition. Many of the world's top jumper and hunter riders come from across the country and beyond to compete for their share of some of the richest prize money in the nation.
The Hampton Classic features six show rings, a Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options and a Farmer's Market, all on its 60-acre show grounds. With its top competition and pristine setting, The Hampton Classic is not just a place to see, it's also a place to be seen. Just in the last two years, A-list celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Matt Lauer, Kelly Ripa, Julianne Moore, Sofia Vergara and Mary-Kate Olsen have been in attendance.
The Hampton Classic hosts more than 100 classes of competition for horses and riders of all ages and abilities. A wide range of hunter, jumper and equitation classes are offered from leadline classes all the way up to the grand prix level. The Classic also has classes for riders with disabilities. The Classic culminates on Sunday, August 30, "Grand Prix Sunday," with an impressive schedule of classes including three finals - the $30,000 7-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship Finals, the $25,000 Campbell Stables Show Jumping Derby, and the $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix Presented by LONGINES - in the Grand Prix Ring, as well as the $10,000 Hermès Hunter Classic in the Anne Aspinall Ring.
Further information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show is available at the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or by calling 631-537-3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.