Sunday is all about local riders at the Hampton Classic, inviting the near and dear horsemen of the community to have a moment in the spotlight at one of the country’s ritziest events. Among the local classes of the day, Bridgehampton hosted the $10,000 Marders Local Hunter Derby in the beautiful Anne Aspinall main hunter ring.
Forty-eight horse-and-rider combinations completed the initial scored round, following which the course was adjusted and the top twelve were invited back in reverse order of standing for the second “handy” round. The scores were then averaged to achieve the final results.
Bridgehampton’s own Laura Bowery and Catrine Golia’s Royal Expectation were the final pair in the ring for the second round, having posted the high-score of the morning with 91 points.
By late afternoon and the second round, the sun had shifted, throwing substantial shadows across the course which proved the undoing of more than one pair.
“For me, the biggest challenge in riding the hunters well, versus the jumpers, is in the precision, and staying calm and making it all look seamless,” said Bowery after an emotional awards presentation and victory gallop. “In the first round he just jumped outrageously well. He was very relaxed but really put a ’10’ into every jump. The horse that was ahead of me was a beautiful jumper and had a great round with an 89. So to get a 91 in the first round was pretty cool. All the horses were spooky in the second round with the light, but I made an inside turn to the birch jump which no-one else made and I think my trot jump was amazing. Those are usually hard for him as he was a jumper until just two years ago.”
Laura also took third in the East Hampton Star Local Hunter Pro O/F aboard Quantonius, which you can see here:
Monday’s itinerary features some very special events including the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities, presented by Bridgehampton National Bank; and Animal Adoption Day presented by Gotham North Enterprizes.
From now through September 3, the Classic will feature over 200 classes in six beautifully manicured show rings; a Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors for shopping, and a wide selection of dining options on the world-class 60-acre showground.
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