What Happened at the Hampton Classic

By Katlean de Monchy–

You had to be there. It did rain on Grand Prix Day. For just a few moments. Nonetheless, the equestrian community, celebrities and high rollers showed up, and dressed up — straw hats for men, flowered hats for the ladies — for the final competition. It was the $400,000 culmination of a week’s worth of jump offs and contests and qualifiers.

I was lucky to stumble on the Evergates table, where Bill Gates’ daughter sat. Evergates keeps its horses in Salem, NY, in Wellington, FL, and in Belgium, convenient to the European and Middle Eastern events.

That table had a lot to celebrate since they had the fifth-place finisher in the Grand Prix. Jenn Gates Nassar’s husband, Nayel Nassar, won $24,000 and came in ahead of McLain Ward, the favorite. Jenn Gates Nassar, who is pregnant with their second child, is a resident in pediatric medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Jenn Gates Nassar, at the Evergates table, with something to celebrate (Katlean de Monchy)

Rene Dittmer, who won the Grand Prix and $132,000, came to ride, not to fill a table with family and friends. Those decorated tables are the social side of the Hampton Classic. And most of the people around the tables do watch the competitions, because they themselves ride or because they have, or have had, children and grandchildren who were equestrians. That is part of growing up in the Hamptons, or any wealthy area.

Rene Dittmer on the mare Corsica X winning the Hampton Classic (Kind Media)

What is the quiet side of those tables are the horse owners and trainers. Competing at the Grand Prix level requires wealthy parents — see Georgina Bloomberg and Jessica Springsteen — or horse breeders, riders, and trainers who loan their finest jumpers to top riders. McLain Ward rode Five Star Hero to win the $70,000 Douglas Elliman Qualifier and to come in sixth in the Classic. But he had only been seated on Five Star Hero a few days before the Classic, an unusual situation for any Grand Prix competition. Five Star Hero was trained by the Australian equestrian, the Olympian Thaisa Erwin, who won another competition here, and the horse is jointly owned with the amateur rider Michael Smith of Virginia and his wife, Wendy Smith.

Ok, enough horsey stuff. Back to the tents. There is  a lot of planning and fuss to make sure that the tables inside the tents look splendid. The “Hamptons Cottages and Gardens” committee decides who did it best.

The Wölffer Estate Vineyard table came in second for decor; Joey Wölffer rode in the qualifying event for the Grand Prix (Photo Barbara Lassen)

Walking through the tents I saw a splendid table, wreathed in yellow –flowers and lemons — some of them encased in ice. Catherine Lignelli told me her thinking behind the design. Lignelli is a horsewoman herself, and so are her two daughters, Alexa and Agatha. They spend their winters in Wellington, FL. Alexa won her Junior Jumper Classic on XO Cinderella and will now represent the USA at the Youth Nations Cup in Belgium. And Agatha won a different level Junior Jumper Classic on XO Kiara.

Catherine Lignelli with her prize-winning display (Photo Barbara Lassen)

But Alexa will be leaving home for college this year. That left Catherine Lignelli thinking about freezing moments in time. She brought out her wedding invitation, and wedding linens. Having just returned from Italy, where she saw so many lemon trees, she knew she wanted to incorporate lemons and sunny yellow flowers. She enlisted Missi Flowers Hamptons, and the personal stylist she has been using for years, Christophe Snow, who works at Wyeth in Sagaponack. He had previously worked at Bergdorf Goodman, and at Céline under Phoebe Philo.

Snow used Ice Luge (in Deer Park, New York) to make her tablescape. Catherine Lignelli was worried that the ice would melt before anyone arrived, but it held up admirably.

A play on yellow, flower-in-ice, fruit and vegetable (photo Barbara Lassen)

It was all sweet, and very personal. Visually stunning. And that resonated with the judging committee. Blue ribbon.

As said above, Wölffer Estate took second place, and third place went to Blue Star Equestrian. Meanwhile, horse owners, horse lovers, and fashion plates patrolled the tents. Here was Donna Karan with Christie Turlington, talking about how the event really brings the community together. Over there was Candace Bushnell. Peter Cook (famously Christie Brinkley’s ex-husband) was here with his wife, Alba.

Christie Turlington, left, and Donna Karan (Photo Barbara Lassen)

Candace Bushnell (photo Barbara Lassen)

Alba and Peter Cook (Photo Barbara Lassen)

Of course the Argentine polo player and model Nacho Figueras was here. And John Paulson, this time without his fiancée. Coming into the tent was Jean Shafiroff in a stylish hat.

Nacho Figueras, Polo player from Argentina (Photo Barbara Lassen)

John Paulson, flying solo (Photo Katlean de Monchy)

Jean Shafiroff (Photo Barbara Lassen)

Speaking of hats, Rose Dios of Southampton is a UBS wealth management advisor by day and a couture hat designer in her spare time. A few years back her boutique, Stitch, was a favorite for many on the charity circuit. Now she does custom hats for the same clients on a private basis. Her specialty is hats that match the outfit. All of the proceeds go to charity.

Rose Dios, financial planner by day, hat designer by night (Photo Katlean de Monchy)

Sometimes it is just interesting to walk around and see who turns up, including a pair from the show “Smothered,” about a relationship between mother and daughter, seen outside the tents. Apparently anything can happen at the Hampton Classic these days.

The mother and daughter pair Catherine Galasso-Vigorito and Gabriella Vigorito (photo Barbara Lassen)

With an operation of the magnitude of the Hampton Classic, one has to remember that there are hundreds of people behind the scenes. The grooms, drivers and trainers. The people in the Hampton show office, the photographers, publicists, office workers. Marty Bauman, who handles a thousand calls a day and somehow never forgets a name. And the people who make sure tents go up and then come down safely. The transportation people.

As the competition ended, the attention inevitably changed to dismantling the tables, cleaning up and saying goodbye.

It was the end of another Hampton Classic. And I’m sure the beginning of planning for the next one, which will be the 50th.