BRIDGEHAMPTON, N.Y.--World #1 Kent Farrington on Greya just beat World #12 McLain Ward on Lestro VD Valckenborg in a thrilling two horse jump-off in the $400,000, 5* Hampton Classic Grank Prix on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Kent Farrington on Greya (Photo by  KindMedia)From a starting field of 31 that included a number of the top riders in the world, only Farrington and Ward went clean over the course set by Nick Granat.

Farrington, first to go in the jump-off, finished in 41.820 on the very fast World #1 mare Greya.

Ward, on the relatively inexperienced Lestro, had a stutter step before fence two when Lestro perhaps was confused as to where to go, and that may have cost him the class as he finished in 42.560, just a little over a half second behind Farrington.

Olympic gold medalist and World #19 Christian Kukuk of Germany on Akarad Tivoli Z was third as he fastest of those with four faults in 76.280.

Over the very difficult course, only five went with as little as four faults.

 

UP AND COMING star Skylar Wireman on Barclino B was fourth in 77.010, Aaron Vale on Carissimo 25 was fifth in 79.360, Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain on In The Air was sixth in 80.110 and McKayla Langmeier on Riesling van de Gaathoeve was seventh in 80.560.

McLain Ward on Lestro VD Valckenborg (Photo by KindMedial)Farrington won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix for the third time, , having won with Voyeur in 2012 and Zafira in 2013.

Ward has won the Classic seven times.

“I think Greya’s results speak for themselves,” Farrington said. “I’m a big sports fan, and stats don’t lie. She is incredible. She’s a phenomenal athlete, and she really showed that today. Jump-offs like these are actually the most uncomfortable for me, because you’ve got a guy like McLain who can pull off something crazy at the end. It’s really exciting with how much risk you want to take. If I go all-out and have one down, I hand him the win, but if I don’t put enough pressure, he can take those extra risks and beat me. It’s really a measurement of how much risk to take. I tried to measure that well today, and luckily, it paid off. But it was still too close for my comfort.”

“I’m thrilled with Lestro,” Ward said. “He’s a young, up-and-coming horse. This was his biggest Grand Prix start of his career. Less than a year ago, we were jumping 1.45m, so his progress and the way he performed today were brilliant. I think Nick set a difficult test today while keeping it fair. This is a 5* for a great deal of prize money at one of the best venues in the world; it should be hard."

“Arguably the best horse-and-rider combination in the world right now was the only other clear, and I found that quite motivating,” he said. “I had nothing to lose in the jump-off in some ways, but at the same time, my horse is a little less experienced. I had a plan and in a couple of places didn’t pick up on the stride, which maybe would have brought things a little closer, but I’m thrilled to be second to that combination.”

“I think the course was a really appropriate test for the horses and riders we had today,” Granat said. “The Hampton Classic is such a special show. Jumping clear here is a big deal, and I think every rider should be proud for taking on the challenge.”

“I talked to a couple of people, including Kent, and they were already excited about coming here,” Kukuk said. “So I made a plan to join them, and I’m super, super happy I did that. I was impressed by the atmosphere, by the sport, by everything around the event."

“To be honest, even if I’d jumped clear, I would have sat in the same position,” he said. “There would be no chance. I’ve only had this horse for six months, and he’s quite green at this level. It’s just his second Grand Prix, so we are not as experienced in a jump-off like that. We had some fantastic sport today, and I think the crowd was thrilled. That’s what we aim for in shows like this; the excitement and the atmosphere are what make it such a special event.”

Irish-born groom of Greya Denise Moriarty, who has been with Farrington for more than a decade, won $1,000.

With his second-place finish, Ward moved to the top of the standings for the $20,000 Rider Challenge for the 5* division.

With a total of 400 points through the week,, Ward won $20,000, Egypt’s Nayel Nassar was second with 320 points, while World #3 Shane Sweetnam of Ireland finished third with 230 points.

This was the third time Ward has won the Rider Challenge, having previously secured the award in 2021 and 2024.

He is one of only three riders to accomplish this, along with Sweetnam, three times, and Richie Moloney, four times.