Stewart, 48, guided Garfield, 9, to the Triple Crown Custom high performance hunter championship, Dedication, 7, to the second year green hunter championship, and Enjoy, 6, to the first year green hunter championship. Garfield won all five of the division’s classes to emphatically claim the high-performance tricolor from the 2011 champion, Tigger, owned by Jane F. Clark and ridden by Jim Toon.
“Garfield was really great yesterday but just a bit tired today,” said Stewart. “Dedication got a score of 95 yesterday and a 93 today, and I think that was the best round I’ve ever had on him.”
Alex Crown, of New York, N.Y., owns Garfield; Fashion Farm, also of New York City, owns Dedication; and Becky Gochman, also of New York City, owns Enjoy.
“The Hampton Classic is absolutely one of my favorite shows,” said Stewart. “When the weather is great like it is today, they really go well here on this grass ring, so I love riding here.”
Lyman T. Whitehead, of No. Salem, N.Y., rode Trending to the green conformation hunter championship, just nipping Stewart on Beholden, who took the reserve title. “We just traded [wins] back and forth, and I got lucky with the way the ribbons were spread out,” said Whitehead. Nina Winoker, of Greenwich, Conn., owns Trending.
Victories in two over fences classes and the under saddle class propelled Trending, a Dutch Warmblood gelding, to the tricolor. Whitehead said that Trending, 7, has earned the championship or reserve championship at every show in which he’s competed this year.
“He’s a beautiful mover and a beautiful jumper, so he’s got all the bases covered,” said Whitehead. “He’s also very brave, so we’re aiming to make him into a hunter derby horse. I think he’s really going to shine at that.”
Peter Pletcher, of Magnolia, Texas, guided Becky Gochman’s Sambalino to the regular conformation hunter title. Sambalino also won the regular conformation hunter championship in 2011, but with Ken Berkley aboard.
On Tuesday, the children’s hunters took over the hunter rings, headlined by the Marshall & Sterling Children’s Hunter Classics for ponies and for horses. Sophie de Menil rode You’ve Got Mail, 18, to victory in the large pony division. You’ve Got Mail is owned by Christine de Leyer of East Hampton, N.Y., and trained by her husband, Andre de Leyer, at their East End Stables.
Kodak, 12, won the small/medium pony division. Kodak, owned by Kate Considine, turned in the winning round with Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell, of New York, N.Y., in the saddle. Kodak was also named champion of section A of the children’s hunter, small/medium pony, division. The champion of section B was Make My Day, owned and ridden by Elizabeth Chung of New York, N.Y.
Owner-rider Elle Turner, of Chester Springs, Pa., guided Walk-On, 10, to victory in the horse section of the Marshall & Sterling Children’s Hunter Classic.
The children’s hunter, large pony, division was split into two sections, with Olivia Venezio, of Melville, N.Y., riding Sarzen Ltd.’s Sweet Treat, 10, to the section A title and Ned Cunniffe, of So. Salem, N.Y., riding Paulexi LLC’s Cherrybrook Blue Suede Shoes to the section B title.
The 37th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show runs through Sunday, Sept. 2, and features world-class show jumping competition, as well as magnificent shopping and a variety of entertainment attractions. The Classic features six show rings with more than 100 classes of competition for horses and riders of all ages. A wide range of jumper, hunter, equitation, short stirrup and leadline classes are all part of the Classic’s schedule, as well as competitions for riders with disabilities.
The highlight of the Hampton Classic is the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup™ Qualifier on Sunday, September 2. The Grand Prix, open to horses that successfully complete Friday's $50,000 Spy Coast Farm/Young Horse Show Series Grand Prix Qualifier, features Olympians, World Champions and other show jumping veterans such as defending champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward. This year, the Grand Prix is part of the new Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge which awards a $200,000 bonus should the same horse-and-rider combination win the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, $250,000 FTI Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic, and $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix at the Alltech National Horse Show. Ward won the Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Antares F in May and now stands to win the $200,000 bonus should he ride Antares F to wins in the remaining two events in the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge.
For those who can’t make it to the show grounds, WVVH-TV, the official Long Island television station of the Hampton Classic, broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day during the Classic. These broadcasts can also be seen on line at www.wvvh.tv.
All classes held in the Grand Prix Ring will also be available live throughout the horse show on webcasts provided by ShowNet. Access to this pay-per-view stream may be found on the Hampton Classic website at www.HamptonClassic.com, or via ShowNet membership at www.ShowNet.biz. In addition, most of the Classic’s jumper and hunter classes from all other rings will also be available, many live, through ShowNet at www.ShowNet.biz.
USEF Network.com, Presented by SmartPak, will offer a free live webcast of the Classic’s featured event, the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup™ Qualifier on Sunday, September 2 starting at 2:00 p.m. EDT. This free live webcasts is available at www.USEFNetwork.com.
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.