Source: News Release/Classic Communications
McLain Ward Ready for Second Leg of THIS Triple Crown Challenge
Triple Crown Could Be Within Reach With a Win This Sunday
For the second consecutive year, two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, finds himself going into the $250,000 FTI Consulting Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic with the potential of winning the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge. This unique challenge awards riders a $200,000 bonus should the same horse-and-rider combination win three of the country's best grand prix events in the same year.
The first event was the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon held on May 30. It was there that Ward won the first leg on Rothchild and now stands to take home the bonus should the pair win the remaining two events in the Challenge.
The second event, the $250,000 FTI Consulting Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, September 1 at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY. With Ward having won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix a record six times, it will be an exciting moment when he and Rothchild enter the grass arena.
Ward has been in this position before. Just last year, during the inaugural year of the Challenge, Ward had one leg of the challenge in the record books after collecting the blue at Devon on Antares F. But the pair couldn't pull off the win at the Hampton Classic when Kent Farrington of Chicago, IL, came in on Voyeur and shut down Ward's streak.
Although Ward didn't lead the victory gallop in the $250,000 class he did win four major jumper classes in 2012.
If Ward can pull off a win and get another step closer to taking home the bonus, the final leg of the challenge will be the $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix, held on November 2 at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, KY.
"It's exciting to watch someone like McLain Ward head into the second leg of the Challenge," said Michael Taylor, the President of Taylor Harris Insurance Services. "Knowing he's won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix six times in his career makes it all that much more possible to have him grab another leg of the Challenge. Taylor Harris Insurance is a proud supporter of equestrian sport and the excellence it requires to walk out with the blue ribbon. We are excited at the possibility of McLain emerging victorious in Southampton and heading to the Alltech National Horse Show having won two legs of the Challenge."
McLain Ward and Rothchild won the first leg of the THIS Triple Crown Challenge at the Devon Horse Show - photo by The Book LLC
Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) was founded in 1987 to provide specialized insurance for all types of equine risk including property and casualty. Taylor Harris works with their clients to ensure they are equipped with the insurance coverage that's right for each individual case. THIS places all policies with the highest rated and most secure insurance carriers, which are also selected for their prompt and reliable claims settlement. Their goal is providing insurance protection for all personal and professional equestrian related risk and delivering peace of mind for their clients.
For further details visit www.taylorharris.com, like the Taylor Harris Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TaylorHarrisInsuranceServices) or call 1.800.291.4774.
Richter Claims Amateur-Owner Jumper Title
For the third consecutive year, Phillip Richter rode his Firefly to the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship after winning the $5,000 Strong's Marine Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic at the Hampton Classic. Richter's jump-off time of 37.38 seconds easily defeated the time of 38.22 seconds Tracey Weinberg posted on Linda Z.
Danielle Cooper rode Vegas Du Houssoit to third place (40.33).
Richter, 43, has ridden at the Hampton Classic since its earliest days and won a pony hunter championship here in 1983. His godmother, Christophe de Meniel, was one of the show's founders, and now he's on the Hampton Classic Board of Directors.
"So, obviously, this show is very special to me, a part of my life. And Firefly loves this horse show too," said Richter.
Richter co-founded the investment firm Hollow Brook Wealth Management in 2001, and since Firefly is stabled at mother Judy Richter's Coker Farm in Bedford, N.Y., and his office is in Manhattan, Phillip doesn't get much chance to ride. He said that he hadn't ridden Firefly since winning the championship at the Lake Placid Horse Show in July, and he credits grand prix rider Norman Dello Joio with working Firefly, now 17, between shows.
"I know how to jump, and Firefly knows how to jump, so it's just a matter of keeping him fit and ready. He'll do whatever I ask of him," said Richter. "I'd rather win once at a show like this than win championships at another eight shows. This show is the peak of the year for me, every year."
The Hampton Classic is also a special show to Cloe Hymowitz, who won the Junior Jumper Championship, because she lives in Bridgehampton. Hymowitz, 17, earned the championship after winning the $5,000 Entrust Junior Jumper Classic on Bon Vivant.
Hymowitz In has been showing at the Hampton Classic since she was 3 years old, and in 2011 she won the Local Non-Pro Hunter Championship.
Hymowitz rode Bon Vivant to a clear jump-off round in 34.74 seconds to defeat Brianne Link on two horses-E-Bay (36.21 seconds) and Zycarla Z (37.05 seconds). Link, 15, lives in East Islip, N.Y.
"He's an amazing horse-he loves to go really fast and jump," said Hymowitz. "I knew I had a chance in the classic. I knew I had to just let go of the reins, and he'd do the rest for me."
Firefly and Phillip Richter won the $5,000 Strong's Marine Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship at the Hampton Classic. (Shawn McMillen photo)
Keenan Tops Sam Edelman Equitation Class
Lillie Keenan won the two-round Sam Edelman Equitation Championship, presented by The Chronicle of the Horse, at the Hampton Classic, scoring 175.5 points. Charlotte Jacobs finished second (171), and McKayla Langmeier finished third (170).
Keenan, 16, was disappointed in her first-round performance, which left her in fifth place with a score of 85.5. So she put it all on the line for round 2.
"I always put a lot of pressure on myself, and I definitely put way too much pressure on myself in the first round," said Keenan, of New York, N.Y. "I rode too timidly, and I worried too much about making everything too perfect. So I knew that if I was going to get the kind of score I needed to win, I really had to go for it and take every opportunity to put in a winning round."
Keenan rode Levistano 2, a bay gelding owned by Heritage Farm in Katonah, N.Y., where she trains with Andre Dignelli and his team. They won the $10,000 trainers' award as a result of Keenan's victory.
Keenan said that Levistano 2 is the perfect horse for equitation classes in big fields like the Hampton Classic's Grand Prix Ring. "This is the kind of class he's best in, because he has a wonderful rhythm and he likes to gallop to the jumps," said Keenan. "He really did his job in the first round, and I had to do mine in the second round."
Scoring a 90, Keenan earned the highest score of the top-placed 15 riders who returned for round 2. Leader Michael Hughes scored a 93 in round 1 but slumped to a 76 in round 2, to fall to fourth place. Jacobs stood second after round 1 with a 91, and her second-round score 80 kept her there. Langmeier added 84 points to her first round score of 86 to climb to third.
"I thought both rounds were equally challenging but not death-defying. I thought they were perfect courses, appropriate for this class," said Keenan, who on Tuesday won the 20,000 Hampton Classic Time Challenge, an open jumper class.
During the Grand Prix Ring's morning session, the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan McCrea and Christine McCrea, of East Windsor, Conn., took the bulk of the prize money in the $10,000 Douglas Elliman Open Jumper.
Jonathan rode Special Lox through the finish timers in 35.63 seconds to nip Kevin Babington on Shorapur (36.43 seconds) and Christine on Waterloo (36.48 seconds).
Second place did, however, push Babington into the lead in the race for the $30,000 Longines Leading Rider Challenge. Babington has 98 points, followed by Ramiro Quintana (94) and Mattias Tromp (85). Christine McCrea is in eighth place (65), and Jonathan McCrea is in 16th place (50).
The 38th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show runs through Sunday, September 1 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 Classic features an FEI-recognized Grand Prix on three consecutive days - the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm/Young Horse Show Series Grand Prix Qualifier Presented by Longines on Friday, the $40,000 Longines Cup on Saturday, and the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup™ Qualifier on Sunday. The world-class field of riders will also be looking to win the new Longines Rider Challenge that awards $30,000 to the rider who accumulates the most points in the horse show's Open Jumper division.
The FTI Grand Prix is part of the 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. McLain Ward won the Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Rothchild in May and now stands to win the $200,000 bonus should he ride Rothchild 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 telecasts can also be seen online at
www.WVVH.com.
Free live webcasts of all Grand Prix Ring competition will be available, courtesy of ShowNet, at
www.HamptonClassic.com. Competition in other rings will be available on a pay-per-view basis at
www.shownet.biz.
Further information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at
www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.
Lillie Keenan rode Levistano 2 to victory in the Sam Edelman Equitation Championship, presented by
The Chronicle of the Horse, at the Hampton Classic. (Shawn McMillen photo)
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