54/ SEPTEMBER 2019 THE RIDER


Mario and Lucy Deslauriers Keep it All in the Family With a One-Two Finish


in the $300,000 DOHA.INC Grand Prix to Close Out a Spectacular 44th Annual Hampton Classic


Bridgehampton, NY – Sep- tember 6, 2019 – The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show featured more than 200 classes of hunter, jumper


and equitation


classes for approximately 1,500 horses and riders of all ages and abilities. They competed in six beautifully manicured show rings across 65 acres. Riders from ten nations – including Olympic and World Cup champions – competed in five FEI classes, culminat- ing in a brilliant win by Canada’s Olympic and World Cup veteran, Mario Deslauriers. What made this win even more special was that his daughter, Lucy, fin- ished second. Ireland’s Shane Sweet-


nam won the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge as the Classic’s leading open jumper rider for the third time in the seven years the Classic has presented the award. Sweetnam received a stunning LONGINES time- piece and a check for $30,000. Sweetnam also re- ceived a Longines watch for winning Saturday’s $72,000 LONGINES Cup. Since he won four Longines watches at the Hampton Classic in 2018, he was asked who were the lucky recipients of all of his watches? His an- swer (very smartly) was: “My mother is next in line!” Located near


Hamptons’ famed beaches, restaurants, nightclubs and boutiques,


the Hampton


Classic is a celebrity hot- spot. Among those in atten- dance at this year’s Classic were Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco, Howard Buffett, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Joel, Gabby Karan de Felice, Donna Karan, Brooke Shields, and pro football Hall of Famer and television star Michael Stra- han.


Across the board and


throughout the week, the consensus from riders and officials alike was how fan- tastic the newly-renovated and rebuilt Grand Prix field was after the million dollar investment from the Hamp- ton Classic. Top interna- tional course designer and Olympic silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC, was effusive in his praise of the renovation. “Allen Rheinheimer


and the committee did an in- credible job,” he com- mented. “The foundation is solid, and the grass needs maybe one or two years to mature perfectly, but it’s re- ally on the right track. The horses jumped incredibly well all week. In a year or two, this venue will have some of the top footing in the world as far as grass is concerned.” The


competitors


echoed the sentiments of Vaillancourt. Olympic silver


medalist Peter Leone said, “It felt like jumping on a tumbling mat. There was life and spring to it – it was just so exciting to ride on a field like that!” Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward said: “It was perfect. Absolutely spot on. Not a single blade of grass was out of place.” The Deslauriers family


had extra celebrating to do after this particular Hamp- ton Classic. Mario’s daugh- ter, Lucy, who just returned from being part of the U.S. bronze-medal winning team at the Pan American Games, had a stellar week at the Classic. She followed a win on Friday in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier with her second- place finish in Sunday’s marquee event. Lisa Deslau- riers (wife of Mario and mother of Lucy,) a past Grand Prix and USET com- petitor, is Chairman of the Board of the Hampton Clas- sic.


Tupac van de Vrombaut- shoeve Z. Goutal-Marteau raved


about how the footing held up so well Wednesday’s


following rain.


“I


jumped on Sunday in the first big class and the ground felt amazing – we turned and burned and were able to go very fast. Yester- day I watched a video on the Hampton Classic’s Insta- gram account of the amount of water the new drainage system was pulling off this field, after inches of rain, and today you would barely know it. You hear it a tiny bit as you’re on course that it’s a little wet, but you can still go fast, you can turn and nobody’s slipping. After more than 50 horses in this class there’s barely a mark on the field.” In Thursday’s $40,000


the in-gate. Ryan misjudged little harder to the last had to do to put a little pres-


sure on her.” Mario Deslauriers re-


ceived beautiful new time- piece


courtesy of


LONGINES for his win, as well as a check for $99,000.00 and a beautiful award of a large-format bot- tle of Whispering Angel wine


from Chateau the


D’Esclans. Lucy’s check was for $60,000.


FEI and Open Jumper Highlights The Open Jumper divi-


Mario Deslauriers (c) Shawn McMillen Course Designer


Michel Vaillancourt built a challenging course at the maximum height of 1.60m, including a triple combina- tion which took the com- petitors nearly the entire length of the packed VIP tent. The tough course was a true test of ability, resulting in just three of 39 combina- tions progressing to a jump- off round. The start order for the


class was determined by the final placings in Friday’s $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier, which meant the better you did Fri- day, the later in the order you went on Sunday. Lucy Deslauriers had the luxury of being the final rider to go in the jump-off; American team gold medalist from the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Devin Ryan with his WEG mount Eddie Blue went


first, sandwiching


Mario Deslauriers in the middle. The jump-off course


consisted of eight efforts, in a series of S-curves across the ring from side to side, and a long gallop down to the last fence headed toward


the striding to the second fence and Eddie Blue had it down. They were able to hold it to just the four faults, crossing the timers in 42.66 seconds. Next to go, the senior


Deslauriers executed a mas- terful pivot turn with Bar- dolina from the third fence in front of the VIP tents, to cross in front of the open water, then across the field to the Hermès oxer at fence four. They were slightly off Ryan’s time, but they kept the jumps up to finish on a clean score in 42.82 sec- onds.


Last to go, Deslauri-


ers’s 20-year-old daughter also took the inside turn with long-time partner Hes- ter, and with his effortless galloping stride they easily had the best time, finishing in 39.60. However, in a heartbreaking turn,


they


pulled the top rail on the final fence, to finish second on a score of four faults. “I got a little excited,”


admitted Deslauriers as she recounted her


jump-off


round. “If I had it to do over again, I would have pulled a


Lucy Deslauriers and Hester in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier (c) Shawn McMillen


fence.” When asked what he


was thinking as he watched Lucy follow him in the jump-off, knowing that if she had a rail, he would win the class, Mario replied: “Lucy won on Friday so today was my turn! Seri- ously, she and Hester make a great pair, and I know they are very quick. I did what I


ing Fantast. Molly


Ashe-Cawley finished sec- ond with Berdien and third went to Geoffrey Hesslink with HH Casey Jones. Tuesday morning’s


two $10,000 1.40m Open Jumper competitions saw 65 horses vying for prize money. Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, finished on


weather Wednesday after- noon, the start of the FEI di- vision was postponed to Thursday morning. Brianne Goutal-Marteau finished on top in the $10,000 Palm Beach Masters Power & Speed with Zernike K. Ire- land’s Shane Sweetnam fin- ished


second


Kirschwasser SCF and third went to Hardin Towell with


sion began with the $30,000 Land Rover Jumper Chal- lenge presented by Jaguar. Team gold medalist from WEG 2018, Adrienne Stern- licht, took the top spot rid-


top in section A with new Mario Deslauriers winner of the $300,000 DOHA.INC Grand Prix (c) Shawn McMillen


mount Silberrose – so new this was their first time in the competition ring to- gether. Ward had to settle for second in section B with Up Des Chaines, behind his 2018 WEG gold medal teammate Adrienne Stern- licht, again riding Fantast. Continuing her win-


ning streak, Adrienne Stern- licht


took the $10,000


Wölffer Estate Open Jumper 1.40m class on Wednesday morning, again with Fantast. Ireland’s Richie Moloney repeated his 2018 second place finish in this class, this time riding Merqusio. Molly Ashe-Cawley finished third with Berdien. Due to inclement


FEI Speed Stake presented by Lisa & Mario Deslauriers and Lynn Tarnopol, Brazil’s Luiz de Azevedo rode Collin to victory, a horse he had rescued from slaughter five years ago. He took a risk on Collin and then took a risk in the class, leaving out a stride to the last jump to stop the timers in 63.48 seconds. America’s Cather- ine Tyree finished second and third with her pair of greys BEC Lorenzo and Catungee, with times of 66.39 and 66.76 seconds re- spectively. Victoria Birdsall took


the top spot in Friday’s $10,000 SHF Enterprises 7 & Under class. She rode Maestro Van Het Binnen- veld to the win in a time of 35.419 seconds. With Fri- day’s win and consistent re- sults


in Tuesday and


Wednesday’s classes, Bird- sall and Maestro Van Het Binnenveld were crowned Champions in the SHF En- terprises 7 & Under Jumper division. Reserve went to Brianne Goutal-Marteu and Goodwill V/D Coefering. Young superstar Lucy


Deslauriers rode her long- time partner Hester to the win in Friday’s $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix-Qualifier CSI4* Pre- sented by LONGINES. Andy Kocher was second with Carollo and Canada’s Amy Millar was third with Truman. In the Douglas Elliman


Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4*, Irish Olympic veteran Kevin Babington fell and suffered a spinal cord injury in his neck. The equestrian com- munity has rallied around the Babington family and started a fundraising effort to help with Kevin’s med- ical expenses. Anyone inter- ested in supporting this effort can make a donation on Facebook at Sissy’s Medical Fundraiser


for with Kevin Babington Continued on Page 55


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56