Ashe Cawley Takes the Crown in $32,000 Wölffer Estate CSI2* Grand Prix Qualifier at 2024 Hampton Classic Horse Show
Sweetnam Wins $10,000 Lugano Diamonds Junior/Amateur Welcome Stake
Friday’s competition in the Hampton Classic Grand Prix Arena commenced in the morning with the $32,000 Wölffer Estate CSI2* Grand Prix Qualifier, which featured 31 entries representing ten countries. With the top two placings separated by just a hundredth of a second, Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) and Berdien brought home the win in 38.46 seconds.
The Hampton Classic, August 25-September 1, is one of the world’s most prestigious horse shows, featuring competitors from young children in leadline to Olympic, World, and World Cup Champions. Rated USEF Premier-6 with designated FEI 5* and 2* show jumping classes, the Classic also has competitions for riders with disabilities.
Course designer Nick Granat created a 16-effort, 1.45m track for the $32,000 Wölffer Estate CSI2* Grand Prix Qualifier, with only nine horse-and-rider combinations advancing to the jump-off. Ashe Cawley and Louisburg Farm’s 13-year-old Zangersheide mare narrowly claimed victory in 38.46 seconds; fellow American Vanessa Hood and K&T Geromino, a 9-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Take Two LLC, finished second with their faultless time of 38.47 seconds.
“I thought I left a little room on course, actually,” Ashe Cawley said. “I knew I could be beaten, especially by Sydney (Shulman Desiderio) if she was clear. Her horse is so fast. I felt I was a little slow down the first line and tried to make it up across the middle to the liverpool. I took a little risk there, but I think that’s how I nipped by Vanessa with a very tiny hundredth of a second.”
Ireland’s Philip McGuane rounded out the podium with his 39.18-second time aboard Nayel Nassar and Evergate Stables LLC’s 14-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding Edgard De Prefontaine.
Later in the afternoon, 54 entries challenged Granat’s 15-effort, 1.40m course in the $10,000 Lugano Diamonds Junior/Amateur Welcome Stake. Eight horse-and-rider pairs made it to the jump-off, but only one finished double-clear: Olivia Sweetnam of Wellington, FL, and HDB Quality, Sweet Oak Farm’s 11-year-old Westphalian mare. Their steady, clean round catapulted them to the top of the leaderboard for the win.
“I saw the majority of the class doing four strides in the line down to the double verticals, but five suited my horse better so I did that to help us out a little bit,” said Sweetnam, who won the 2023 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series’ Junior East Conference presented by Rood & Riddle with the same mount. “My family has had HDB Quality for five years, and I’ve ridden her for the past two and a half. I have a really good partnership with her in the ring and in the barn. She’s so sweet, so competitive and wants to win so badly. I just love her.”
Read more:
Orders of Go & Results (hamptonclassic.com)
