Mario Deslauriers Returns to the Hampton Classic to Win the $30,000 Open Jumper Challenge

The Hampton Classic Horse Show welcomed many familiar faces on Sunday for the $30,000 Open Jumper Challenge, including the class’s winner, three-time Canadian Olympian Mario Deslauriers.

Setting the time to beat at 73.522 seconds, Deslauriers rode Wishing Well Farm LLC’s Emerson to the first of only two clear rounds in a field of 27 riders. Carly Anthony of Redmond, Wash., and Heavenly W, owned by Portfolio Horses LLC, placed second with a time of 74.056 seconds as the only other pair to jump clear.

I was coming here mostly just to go around, not really thinking about the win,”

Deslauriers said.

(My daughter) Lucy and I went to Europe for most of the summer. We were kind of in the Olympic spirit, both fighting for a spot on each of our teams. Sometime after June 15, I got my spot to represent Canada, and Lucy had a great summer in a couple of Nations Cups for the United States. This was our first show back.”

Fastest in the class was five-time U.S. Olympic veteran McLain Ward, a Team Silver medalist in the recent Tokyo Olympics. He rode Catoki, owned by Van Buren/Russell and Ward, to a blistering time of 60.960 seconds. With a 4-fault rail on the second to last jump, the pair finished in third overall.

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Marders Local Hunter Derby

In the Anne Aspinall Ring, the hunters took center stage for the $10,000 Marders Local Hunter Derby, a two-round competition judged on “Classic Style” and “Handy Hunter” components. Brianne Goutal-Marteau of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and Aquitaine Equine’s Arabesque bested a field of 39 entries with a final combined score of 184 points.

(Arabesque) is an amazing horse,”

Goutal-Marteau said.

She actually belongs to one of my students, and the original plan was to use today as a bit of a schooling for her for next week. We went into the handy round at the top, and there’s always more pressure there (to do well). The riders at the end of the second round just kept getting better, so there really wasn’t any room for error. I’m lucky to have a horse like Arabesque and very happy to have won the class.”

Laura Bowery of Bridgehampton, N.Y., rode Prince of Thieves, owned by Stormy Good, to a second-place finish with a final score of 182 points. John French of Sag Harbor, N.Y., and El Manto LLC’s Trendsetter earned third place with 175 points.

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 Hampton Classic features more than 200 classes in six 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 show grounds. This year’s Hampton Classic features five FEI classes in its grass Grand Prix ring showcasing elite riders from around the world, including Olympic and World Equestrian Games veterans. There are also kid-friendly activities throughout the week including pony rides, petting farm animals, daily special attractions and more.

For those who can’t make it to the show grounds, complimentary live webcasts of all Grand Prix ring competitions air on the Hampton Classic website, produced by ClipMyHorseTV and courtesy of LONGINES. ClipMyHorseTV is also providing a complimentary live webcast of all Anne Aspinall ring competitions and archive video, all available on the Hampton Classic website. In addition, WVVH-TV, Hamptons Television, broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day during the Classic. These broadcasts can also be seen online at www.wvvh.tv.

To learn more about the Hampton Classic Horse Show, visit www.hamptonclassic.com

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