40th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show to Take Place Next Week

The 40th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show will be taking place next week.

The show will take place from from Sunday, August 23 to Sunday, August 30.

The Atlantic Opening Day will take place on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 240 Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton.

The event is one of the most prestigious horse shows in the nation and features competitors at every level from young children in leadline to Olympic veterans.

On the Opening Day, the $50,000 iHeartMedia Hunter Derby, presented by Ghurka will take place starting at 12 p.m., following the opening ceremonies, which takes place in the Classic’s famed Grand Prix Field.

The leadline classes will also take place during Opening Day starting at 9 a.m., judged by Olympic gold medalist Joe Fargis, and will feature riders as young as 2 years old.

In addition, there will be a traditional Local Hunter Divisions open to horses that make their home on Long Island and a Kids Tent.

There are also live animals including llamas, alpaca, sheep, goats and Pansy and Pigity pigs from Long Island Livestock Co.

There will also also horse crafts and activities with Church Street School for Music and Art and Nature Nick’s Animal Show has two different show times during the day.

The featured event, the $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix CSI4 Presented by Longines will take place on Sunday, August 30.

Qualification for Sunday’s event takes place on Friday, August 28 with the $50,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4 also presented by Longines.

Both these FEI Grand Prix classes, as well as the $40,000 Longines Cup on Saturday, August 29, will award points toward the Longines Rider Challenge which awards $30,000 and a Longines timepiece to the rider with the most points in the Open Jumper Division throughout the week.

Two-time Olympic team Gold Medalists McLain Ward and Beezie Madden head the list of show jumping superstars entered in this year’s Classic.

Other top U.S. riders slated to compete include: Olympic veterans Margie Engle, Peter Leone, Peter Wylde, Chris Kappler and Mario Deslauriers, as well as crowd favorite Georgina Bloomberg.

Heading the line-up of international riders is the defending champion in the Classic’s featured event, Irish Olympic veteran Kevin Babington, who placed fourth in the individual competition at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Babington is entered on Shorapur, the mount he rode to victory in last year’s $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix and to second place in the recent Longines International Grand Prix of Ireland at the Dublin Horse Show.

Other top international riders who have entered include: Olympic veterans Daniel Bluman of Colombia and Liubov Kochetova of Russia, as well as Irishmen Darragh Kerins, who won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix in 2004, and Richie Moloney, who has won the Classic’s $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge each of the last two years.

Joining them is Ramiro Quintana of Argentina, who recently won a team Silver Medal at the Pan American Games.