On Carrabis Z, he wins Saturday’s $40,000 feature.
Bridgehampton, NY-August 31, 2013 – Richie Moloney and Carrabis Z won the $40,000 Longines Cup at the 38th Hampton Classic as the only one of three pairs in the jump-off to finish faultlessly.
In front of a crowd of several thousand surrounding the Grand Prix Ring, Catherine Pasmore rode Zaragosa to second place (4 faults/41.01 seconds), and Ronan McGuigan rode Capall Zidane to third place (4 faults/42.08 seconds). Moloney and Carrabis Z completed their round in 43.86 seconds.
Victory in the Longines Cup vaulted Moloney, a 31-year-old Irishman who lives in Riverhead, N.Y., to second place in the standings for the $30,000 Longines Leading Rider Challenge, with 149 points. He also won a Longines watch, presented to him by Juan Carlos Capelli, vice president and head of international marketing for Longines.
McLain Ward, winner on Friday of the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm Grand Prix Qualifier, continues to lead the Longines standings with 169 points. Brianne Goutal is third, with 127 points, and McGuigan is fourth with 117.5.
The course, designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, proved challenging to the 32 horses who started the first round. Carrabis Z, Zaragosa and Capall Zidane were the only horses to finish the first round with 0 faults, while another four finished with no jumping faults but incurred time faults for being too slow. One of these was Vanilla, ridden by Beezie Madden, the world’s No. 2-ranked rider after winning the FEI World Cup Final in April. Madden finished 1 second slow, for 1 time fault.
Richie Moloney guided Carrabis Z to victory in the $40,000 Longines Cup at the Hampton Classic. (Shawn McMillen photo)
Another 11 horses added time faults to their jumping faults, while two horses were eliminated and three more retired on course.
Pasmore, 21, of Wellington, Fla., led off the jump-off, but Zaragosa lowered the third fence, the Spy Coast Farm-sponsored oxer. “I’ve only been riding him since April, and neither one of us has much experience at this level, and that jump is a pretty spooky jump,” said Pasmore. “With two Irishmen behind me, I had to go for it.”
Pasmore’s error allowed Moloney to ride Carrabis Z carefully. “I have to work a bit to keep him together, so I was glad to go a bit slower and just try to keep the jumps up,” said Moloney.
Carrabis Z is a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion Moloney has been riding since the middle of 2012. “We took a bit of time giving him experience to be competitive at this level. He was third in this class last year, so he’s improving,” said Moloney.
McGuigan of Far Hills, N.J., went fast enough to win, but Capall Zidane barely caught one rail. “I wasn’t happy to have 4 faults, but when I get home to my daughter, Zara, it won’t matter,” said McGuigan, who’s a new father.
The 38th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show runs through Sunday, Sept. 1, and features world-class show jumping competition, as well as magnificent shopping and a variety of entertainment attractions. The Classic features six show rings with more than 100 classes of competition for horses and riders of all ages. A wide range of jumper, hunter, equitation, short stirrup and leadline classes are all part of the Classic’s schedule, as well as competitions for riders with disabilities.
The Classic features an FEI-recognized Grand Prix on three consecutive days – the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm/Young Horse Show Series Grand Prix Qualifier Presented by Longines on Friday, the $40,000 Longines Cup on Saturday, and the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup™ Qualifier on Sunday. The world-class field of riders will also be looking to win the new Longines Rider Challenge that awards $30,000 to the rider who accumulates the most points in the horse show’s Open Jumper division.
The FTI Grand Prix is part of the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge, which awards a $200,000 bonus should the same horse-and-rider combination win the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, $250,000 FTI Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic, and $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix at the Alltech National Horse Show. McLain Ward won the Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Rothchild in May and now stands to win the $200,000 bonus should he ride Rothchild to wins in the remaining two events in the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge.
For those who can’t make it to the show grounds, WVVH-TV, the official Long Island television station of the Hampton Classic, broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day during the Classic. These telecasts can also be seen online at www.WVVH.com.
Free live webcasts of all Grand Prix Ring competition will be available, courtesy of ShowNet, at www.HamptonClassic.com. Competition in other rings will be available on a pay-per-view basis at www.shownet.biz.
Further information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please visit the Hampton Classic website at www.hamptonclassic.com or call (631) 537-3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.
