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The Hampton Classic Horse Show kicks off its 37th official season on August 26 as one of the largest and most important equestrian events in the US with $700,000 in prize money offered. More than 1,600 horses will be exhibited this year, and some 50,000 people will be in attendance. The $250,000 FTI Grand Prix & FEI World Cup Qualifier purse is among the richest, so it's certainly tempting for riders to shave off an extra second to jump to victory. And the prestige of winning in Bridgehampton is triply important this year, as the new $200,000 Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge prize is being offered if a rider can win the three major events. All eyes will be on McLain Ward and his Wiirttemberger gray gelding, Antares F, who are fresh from the Olympics and won the first leg of the Triple Crown in June at Devon. They will try for the second leg win with the FTI Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic. If successful, they will go on to pursue the Crown's prize at the final leg at the Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix in Lexington, Kentucky this fall.
"As always, this year’s Hampton Classic will feature some of the best riders and horses in the world," says executive director Shanette Barth Cohen. "Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward, who won the Grand Prix last year for a record-tying third consecutive year, will be riding in his first competition following this summer's London Olympic Games. And he will be looking to n.dd to his record six total wins. twice as many as any other rider in Hampton Classic history. Beezie l\Iadden, his Olympic teammate this year for the third consecutive Olympics, has also filed her entries, and both she and McLain will bring their Olympic horses."
There is much more involved in the story of the Classic and its origins. At the turn of the last century, First Neck Lane, overlooking Lake Agawam in Southampton, had a surplus of open fields and many fewer hedged estates than today, thus it was the perfect site for a local horse show; the equestrians of the East End made this their first gathering spot. This early version of the Classic, like so many other peacetime traditions, was suspended during World War I, but it was revived in 1928 when the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club was formed and began construction of its grounds on a 20-acre plot along Major's Path. After opening in 1928, the SRHC quickly became one of the epicenters of equestrian competition along Long Island and spawned the jumping talents of many young riders including a young Jacqueline Bouvier. This stylish equestrian showcase, with stables and a posh clubhouse, flourished until the outbreak of World War II caused its disruption.
The 1950s revived yet another early version of the classic. But without the hunt club site or the glamour and energy of those particular kinds of surroundings, it never quite caught on. In 1959 the event was reorganized as a fundraiser for the Parrish Art Museum and was held at the Stanley Howard Estate in North Sea. However, again, it did not make an impact beyond the summer colony.
Circumstances finally seemed right to up the ante again in the 1970s. Riding and show jumping were becoming more competitive, equestrian sports started to be taken more seriously and treated as real athletic events with well-trained, disciplined riders and a new generation of spectators. “Diana Schwenk led the way in reviving Southampton’s dormant horse show in 1971”, says Emily Aspinall, Hampton Classic vice president. “For several years it was held at the Topping Riding Club in Sagaponack as a fundraiser for the Hampton Day School.” Bud and Tinka Topping hosted the event for several more years, and Tinka continues to serve on the board of the Classic today.
In 1976 Marie-Christophe de Menil encouraged the Southampton Horse Show's expansion from a local show to a five-day, A-rated event that would include show jumping and attract top riders and horses from around the country. The spacious Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton was chosen as the site for the newly upgraded show. The following year the Classic was run as a benefit for the Southampton Hospital. In 1978, the show was officially launched with the Hampton Classic name. It moved to its current 60-acre location in Bridgehampton in 1982. It was extended to a seven-day show spanning two weekends by 1984, and the current Hampton Classic had arrived.
Weather has been a factor over the years due to summer storms and hurricane season being in full swing, but the staff at Bridgehampton is prepared and ready to take any necessary action to keep the Classic on or as close to schedule as possible.Just last year the tents had to be taken down and rebuilt as Hurricane Irene whipped the East End in late August. "The amazing efforts of our crew and staff made sure that we were ready for horses to arrive on Tuesday and for the horse show to open on Wednesday," explains Barth Cohen. "We managed to keep almost our entire competition schedule intact, albeit compressed from eight days into five."
With such a long and illustrious history, the Classic has hosted many notable moments over its lifetime. In 1988 the Classic was chosen as the final selection trial site for the American Olympic team. While it was a great honor for the show, it upset the normal schedule of both riders and spectators. "We had to move the show up from our traditional dates at the end of August to July because of the lengthy mandatory quarantine of team horses that would be going to Seoul," recalls Hampton Classic board president, Dennis Suskind. "In the end,Joe Fargis, Anne Kursinski, Greg Best, and Lisa Jacquin emerged as the team, and they succeeded in winning the team silver medal at Seoul with Best, adding the individual silver as well on the legendary Gem Twist."
In 1989 Michael Matz and his wife, D. D. Alexander, survived the terrible Sioux City plane crash just a week before the Classic. With everyone rooting for them, Alexander won the Warner Communications Jumper Classic, and Matz won the Classic's featured Grand Prix in a breathtakingly exciting competition. Margie Goldstein-Engle made history as well as thrilling the crowds by taking the Grand Prix cup in 2000 (a few days before leaving for the Sydney Olympics) and again in 2001 and 2002. And the excitement continues. Last year McLain Ward rode into history and tied Engle's re-cord of placing first in three consecutive featured Grand Prix competitions and set a new record with six total wins for that top Classic contest.
With the Classic's grounds at capacity, additional stabling tents cannot be accommodated, so rather than growing the event, Barth Cohen, her staff. and the board of directors must focus on surpassing previous years-which proves a considerable challenge. That is why adding additional elements annually, such as this year's participation in the Triple Crown, is key. "Our property is only 60 usable acres, so we really can't gTow the size of the show by adding competitions or significantly more horses, or we'd end up running competitions in the dark," said Suskind. "We have an engaged board and Horsemen's Advisory Committee, who provide great feedback and suggestions year-round. And our dedicated staff meets immediately following each year's show lo debrief while evem·ything is fresh in their minds, enabling the show to build on successes and address challenges. So rather than focusing on getting bigger, we focus on getting helter.” Tilt Hampton Classic Horse Show takes place August 26 through September 2 at 240 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton; hamptonclasic.com