Hampton Classic changes show schedule after horses slip in Grand Prix jumping ring
Heavy equipment is used to repair the Grand Prix Ring at the Hampton Classic in Bridgehampton on Monday. The grass did not hold up on Sunday despite a $1 million renovation. Credit: John Roca
The Hampton Classic, Long Island's premier equestrian competition, was forced to revise its schedule for this week's horse show after the grass on its new $1 million Bridgehampton showground failed to hold up during Sunday's opening competition.
No rider or horse was injured during the event. But a third of the 45 riders withdrew from the jumping competition, which required riders to make tight turns at high speed and negotiate a series of imposing obstacles.
"It became apparent very early that the footing did not take hold," said Hampton Classic spokesman Marty Bauman, who said several horses on the course slipped and divots came out of the surface.
All classes that were previously scheduled for the Grand Prix Ring have been moved to other areas, according to the event's revised schedule released on Monday.
Hampton Classic president Dennis Suskind said after the problematic jumper class that the grass top of the Grand Prix field is being pulled up and replaced by sand.
"The base under the grass has a fiber/sand/soil combination that drains well so we’re hopeful that it will be ridable for big classes this weekend," Suskind said in a statement. "If that proves not to be the case, we'll plan to run all big jumper classes in other rings and possibly put lower-level competitions in the Grand Prix Ring."
In 2018, organizers of the Hampton Classic undertook a $1 million project to renovate the footing of its 2.5-acre Grand Prix ring — the event’s centerpiece attraction with premier jumping classes — with the goal of ensuring solid footing for years to come.
The grass held up well during the 2019 event, earning high marks from riders and the show was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Bauman said officials had hoped, with two years to mature, the roots of the new grass would grow deeper.
The hope is to get the Grand Prix ring back in action as early as Friday. The show traditionally ends in that arena Sunday with the $300,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix.
The show launched a capital campaign to raise funding for the renovation, and is two-thirds of the way to the $1 million goal, officials said.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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