Defending Hampton Classic Grand Prix champion Daniel Bluman (ISR) heads an impressive list of international riders from 19 countries entered to compete at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, which returns to its beautiful Bridgehampton showgrounds August 25-September 1. Bluman is one of eight riders entered in the Classic who are just back from this summer’s Paris Olympic Games.
The 49th annual Hampton Classic features world-class FEI CSI5* and CSI2* show jumping and USEF ‘Premier-6’ hunter competitions with more than $1 million in prize money. The Classic is highlighted by the Longines Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix on Sunday, September 1.
Looking to defend his 2023 Grand Prix title against fellow Olympic veterans and other top international competitors is three-time Olympian Daniel Bluman of Israel, currently ranked #23 on the Longines Rankings. Last year, Bluman became just the fourth rider to win the featured Hampton Classic Grand Prix at least three times, claiming the win on Ladriano Z, his Paris Olympic mount. He previously won with Ladriano Z in 2017, while also winning in 2021 on Gemma W. Both mounts are entered this year.
Among those joining Bluman at the Classic is six-time U.S. Olympian McLain Ward, who has won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix a record seven times and is currently ranked 12th on the Longines Rankings. A member of the silver medal-winning team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ward is a top contender on the international stage with five Olympic medals (team gold in 2004 and 2008; team silver in 2016, 2021 and 2024). He was also the Longines FEI World Cup™ champion in 2017.
Kent Farrington, Ward’s three-time Olympic teammate and the world’s #6 ranked rider, also hopes to reclaim the Hampton Classic Grand Prix title after winning the event in 2012 and 2013. Farrington’s championship appearances include one Olympic medal (team silver in 2016), one WEG medal (team bronze in 2014) and two Pan American Games medals (team gold in 2011, team bronze in 2015). Along with being selected to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games, he finished fourth at the FEI World Cup™ Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this year.
Also returning from Paris is four-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers, who won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix in 2019. He will not make things easy for his fellow athletes, including his daughter Lucy Deslauriers, who placed second to him in 2019. Deslauriers is a three-time WEG and two-time Pan American Games competitor and remains the youngest rider ever to win the FEI World Cup Final, a title he won in 1984 at age 18. Lucy helped the U.S. win a team bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Other entered riders just back from Paris are world #11 Shane Sweetnam, who represented Ireland in the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games and who has won the Hampton Classic’s Longines Rider Challenge three times; world #24 Darragh Kenny, Sweetnam’s teammate for the 2021 Olympic Games and winner of last year’s Longines Rider Challenge at the Classic; Australia’s Thaisa Erwin, who made her Olympic debut in Paris; and world #25 Nayel Nassar, who represented Egypt at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Other previous Olympic veterans looking to claim prestigious titles at the Hampton Classic this year include three-time Olympian Beat Mändli of Switzerland, two-time Olympian Samuel Parot of Chile and Alberto Michan of Israel.
Each year approximately 50,000 people – including many A-list celebrities – come to watch the nation’s best equestrian athletes compete at the Hampton Classic. The Classic features more than 200 competitions in six spectacular show rings, the Agneta Currey Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its world-class 60-acre showgrounds.
The 49th annual Hampton Classic features world-class FEI CSI5* and CSI2* show jumping and USEF ‘Premier-6’ hunter competitions with more than $1 million in prize money. The Classic is highlighted by the Longines Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix on Sunday, September 1.
Looking to defend his 2023 Grand Prix title against fellow Olympic veterans and other top international competitors is three-time Olympian Daniel Bluman of Israel, currently ranked #23 on the Longines Rankings. Last year, Bluman became just the fourth rider to win the featured Hampton Classic Grand Prix at least three times, claiming the win on Ladriano Z, his Paris Olympic mount. He previously won with Ladriano Z in 2017, while also winning in 2021 on Gemma W. Both mounts are entered this year.
Among those joining Bluman at the Classic is six-time U.S. Olympian McLain Ward, who has won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix a record seven times and is currently ranked 12th on the Longines Rankings. A member of the silver medal-winning team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ward is a top contender on the international stage with five Olympic medals (team gold in 2004 and 2008; team silver in 2016, 2021 and 2024). He was also the Longines FEI World Cup™ champion in 2017.
Kent Farrington, Ward’s three-time Olympic teammate and the world’s #6 ranked rider, also hopes to reclaim the Hampton Classic Grand Prix title after winning the event in 2012 and 2013. Farrington’s championship appearances include one Olympic medal (team silver in 2016), one WEG medal (team bronze in 2014) and two Pan American Games medals (team gold in 2011, team bronze in 2015). Along with being selected to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games, he finished fourth at the FEI World Cup™ Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this year.
Also returning from Paris is four-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers, who won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix in 2019. He will not make things easy for his fellow athletes, including his daughter Lucy Deslauriers, who placed second to him in 2019. Deslauriers is a three-time WEG and two-time Pan American Games competitor and remains the youngest rider ever to win the FEI World Cup Final, a title he won in 1984 at age 18. Lucy helped the U.S. win a team bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Other entered riders just back from Paris are world #11 Shane Sweetnam, who represented Ireland in the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games and who has won the Hampton Classic’s Longines Rider Challenge three times; world #24 Darragh Kenny, Sweetnam’s teammate for the 2021 Olympic Games and winner of last year’s Longines Rider Challenge at the Classic; Australia’s Thaisa Erwin, who made her Olympic debut in Paris; and world #25 Nayel Nassar, who represented Egypt at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Other previous Olympic veterans looking to claim prestigious titles at the Hampton Classic this year include three-time Olympian Beat Mändli of Switzerland, two-time Olympian Samuel Parot of Chile and Alberto Michan of Israel.
Each year approximately 50,000 people – including many A-list celebrities – come to watch the nation’s best equestrian athletes compete at the Hampton Classic. The Classic features more than 200 competitions in six spectacular show rings, the Agneta Currey Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its world-class 60-acre showgrounds.