USA’s Mattias Tromp rode Avon to victory in a seven-horse jump-off, becoming the fastest of only three double clears over Alan Wade’s course. For Tromp, who works out of his family’s Beyaert Farm in North Salem, NY and trains with Olympian McLain Ward, it was his biggest career victory to date. Pablo Meija Villa of Colombia rode to 2nd place aboard Reglisse Top, and the USA’s Catherine Tyree was 3rd with Enjoy Louis. “Obviously I’m very happy today,” Meija Villa commented of his performance aboard the 11-year-old mare (Looping Da’elle x Benroy). “Today was one of the biggest classes I’ve ever done. We won a grand prix at HITS Saugerties towards the end of the summer, but this was definitely one of the biggest tests for the mare and myself. Tyree’s placing was significant in that it pushed her to the top of the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge standings; she’s been in the ribbons every day thus far over the course of the three days of competition at The Hampton Classic, and will compete on Sunday wearing the Longines Leading Rider armband. Tromp & Avon Tyree was thrilled with that status, but there was no one more thrilled than Tromp, who took his seat in the winner’s chair at the press conference wearing an ear-to-ear grin tinged with just a little bit of shock. “This is for sure the most important win I’ve had. I was just hoping to jump clear!” Tromp exclaimed. “It’s very exciting. My goal is to keep competing him as long as I have him and try and do as much as I can.” Tromp’s Beyaert Farm’s purchased the 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion (Quidam de Revel x Cortex 679) earlier this year after Ward connected his student to the horse. Previously campaigned by Alexander Zetterman, Jens Fredricson and Daniel Zetterman in Europe at the CSI5* and CSIO5* level, the stallion had all the experience to take a young rider around the day’s track in The Hamptons. Wade described it as a tough competition to build for: the order was a mix of younger riders stepping up, and international veterans at the reins of second-string horses that were being stepped up among the 38-pair starting list. “It was just trying to find the balance; it wasn’t easy but I think we had good scores today,” Wade said. “You just go with your gut feeling for the day and what you think is right.” On the day, it was the lesser-experienced riders who shone over the track that included a triple combination riding along the long rail directly towards the ingate, and fences up to 1.60m. When Tromp made it to the jumpoff group, he reconvened with Ward to make a plan. As a teenager, Tromp worked at Ward’s Castle Hill Farm as a working student, and grew up trailering in for lessons. “There was a question of an inside turn; whether to go inside or around to the Longines vertical at number 14,” he explained. “When I went in I looked at that turn before I went and I thought it was do-able so I thought to give it a shot and see what happened.” It worked out for Tromp, who is ending his week at The Hampton Classic with this victory, a sizeable prize check, a new Longines watch, and the winner’s sash to take home to North Salem. He hopes to keep building on his success with more “step up” classes throughout the fall season. There is one more day of competition to go at the 2016 Hampton Classic, and with impending weather on the horizon, organizers made the call to move the start time of Sunday’s $300,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix up to 12:30pm.
