The $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix had only three riders in the jump-off for the feature of the fiftieth anniversary show, but the trio provided plenty of excitement as they raced over the Nick Granat-designed course.
British rider Jessica Mendoza guided In the Air to her first 5-star victory with a time of 37.34 seconds. Right behind was Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam with James Kann Cruz, in 37.90. The American in the tie-breaker, Kristen Vanderveen, toppled a rail at the third fence to finish third with four faults in 38.05 seconds.
“It’s a pretty amazing win,” Jessica said.
Jessica Mendoza and In the Air (Kind Media Photo)
“This is one of the best American shows. It’s truly amazing to be here and to win the grand prix. It’s always fun to go into the jump-off with the top three; you don’t have much to lose. I knew there was a bit of room where Shane could catch me, but my mare was perfect across the ground. She’s an incredible horse and had an incredible summer. She really found herself this year.”
Shane commented, “I was very happy with my horse. He’s a very different horse (from Jessica’s). He spends a bit of time in the air and is a bit of a slower horse, so I did my plan close enough to what I thought would be enough to challenge. He jumped great. In hindsight, I could have taken a few more gambles.”
McLain Ward, the winner of Friday’s qualifier on High Star Hero, was going for his eighth grand prix victory in his years at the Hampton Classic. He failed to make the tie-breaker on Imperial HBF with a rail at the triple bar and a foot in the water to finish fifteenth.
Jessica’s win brought her the $20,000 Longines Rider Challenge as the top rider in the 5-star division over the course of the show.
A highlight of the afternoon was a retirement ceremony for the 17-year-old Zangersheide gelding, Ladriano Z, a two-time former winner of the class with Daniel Bluman.
Click here for grand prix results