The Grandest Grand Finale

The much-anticipated Hampton Classic Horse Show will get underway August 23 on Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton. The week-long event assures a spectacular ending for the Hamptons summer season. 

The Classic, as it’s more familiarly known, is the largest hunter/jumper horse show in the United States and offers $1 million in prize money. Now entering its 51st year, the Hampton Classic is a must-attend event for horse enthusiasts and a premier stop on the summer tour for competitors. Amateurs are welcome as well and the Junior Challenge gives young riders an opportunity to prove themselves.

Here’s what you can expect: 200 competitions in six rings, Olympic show jumping athletes, as many as 50,000 spectators, 70 vendors, and enough celebrities to fill Page Six many times over. Six time U.S. Olympian McClain Ward, who has won the Hampton Classic featured Grand Prix a record seven times, heads the impressive list of international riders expected to compete.

Celebrities spotted in recent years include Robert DeNiro, Robert Downey Jr., Jimmy Fallon, Mariska Hargitay, Bobby Flay, Sofia Vergara, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olson, Julianne Moore, Jane Seymour, Billy Joel, Brooke Shields, Bruce Springsteen (whose daughter Jessica is a world class equestrian), Michael Bloomberg (whose daughter Georgina is also a famed Hampton Classic horsewoman,) Lorraine Braco, Martha Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Christie Brinkley, Brooke Shields, Donna Karan and couples Kelly Ripa/Mark Consuelos and Sarah Jessica Parket/Matthew Broderick.

The Grand Prix on Sunday inspires the type of fancy hats normally associated with the Kentucky Derby. But comfortable walking shoes are a must. General admission is an accessible $25 per carload., but VIP seating and tables are another story. Ringside opening day tables are $2,000. Week-long VIP tables range from $10,000 to $30,000.

FEI competition begins on Thursday with the $5,000 Citarella Open Jumper CSI and $32,000 BrianJuice CSI. FEI competition also includes Friday’s $32,000 Wolffer Estate Grand Prix Qualifier, $116,100 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier, Saturday’s $62,500 Jumper Class, and culminates with the $70,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix and $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix on Sunday, which is one of the most coveted titles in show jumping. The $30,000 Longines Rider Challenges will also be presented on Grand Prix Sunday.

The Classic is a financial bonanza for the area. Rents in Bridgehampton and surrounding areas spike. Hotels like Topping Rose House and restaurants like Almond, Bobby Van’s and Pierre’s are booked solid and so are stables—horses have to eat and sleep too. “The hotel usually sells out by the beginning of May,” says Topping Rose House general manager Joseph Montag. People who have been renting are inspired to buy. Realtors say their ears are buzzing with listing conversations. Vendors not only turn a profit at the show but expand their customer base across the luxury market. Sponsors expand their branding reach. On Animal Adoption day, some lucky rescue dogs, cats, and even horses will find permanent homes. Some children will be introduced to horses for the first time on Kid’s Day.

Behind the scenes, grooms are in the barns getting the horses ready for the ring.Trainers and competitors and anxious mothers of junior competitors from other equestrian enclaves like Millbrook and Bedford Hills and Greenwich might be spotted walking the course at dawn.

The luxury Swiss watchmaker Longines is the title sponsor and the official timekeeper. Douglas Elliman, Compass, Corcoran and Sotheby’s are all on the sponsor roster. Wölffer Estate has sponsored for 10 years, and co-owner Joey Wolffer is both a board member and a competitor and the wines are everywhere. “For Wolffer, the Hampton Classic is more than a sponsorship, it is an extension of the estate’s identity,” according to its website. Citarella sponsors as do equestrian services such as Aden Brook, ProElite, and the Clothes Horse. Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and numerous local charities benefit from generous donations. The Classic has contributed more than $2 million to the hospital since 1977.

The Classic has a 50 year history from a simple one day show to an internationally acclaimed competition. There were interruptions along the way from World War I, World War II, a couple of hurricanes, and Covid. The true beginning of the Classic as it exists today was in 1976 when it grew to a five day show and was moved to Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton. In 1982, it was moved to its present location. Today, it holds FEI 5-star and 2-star show jumping designations which are the highest levels of equestrian competition in the world.

Beverly Stephen, co-owner of Flavor Forays culinary travel company, writes about lifestyle,food, travel and design.