Bridgehampton, NY-August 31, 2008-Jennifer Waxman, 16, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, won Sunday’s $25,000 Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Waxman won aboard Outline in a timed jump-off against five other riders, swooping over the final course in 34.385 seconds. They were followed by Addison Phillips of New York City on Teirra (36.051) in second place and Hungarian Henri Kovaks, who is based in Middleburg, Va., finishing third with G-5 (36.291). All three went double-clear.
One of the nation’s premier show jumping competitions, the Hampton Classic concludes Sunday, August 31. The Classic hosts hunter/jumper competition for riders ranging from the youngest competitors in Leadline and Short Stirrup classes all the way up to Olympic veterans in the $200,000 FTI Grand Prix. Show entries include two Olympic riders who flew in directly from the Olympic show jumping competition in Hong Kong: McLain Ward, a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team, and individual gold medalist Eric Lamaze of Canada.
Waxman had a remarkable week at the Hampton Classic and showed the field of 30 competitors in the Calvin Klein Show Jumping Derby how it’s done. She piloted Outline, who has a long, ground-covering stride, handily over the six obstacles in the Jumping Derby jump-off. Waxman positioned the horse perfectly on the approach to the Wolffer Estate oxer, which came off a hairpin turn from a vertical, and then kicked on to a tricky combination. That series of fences was the undoing of several of her competitors, some of whom had a refusal or rails down.
While Waxman darted off for two more rides in another class immediately after her win, her trainer, Emily Smith of Wellington, Fla., explained her win. “Jen really followed the plan,” she said. “The horse has a big stride, and she stuck to riding him exactly the way we planned.”
Smith, who has been training Waxman for eight years, said they were “very pleased with this year’s progress.” Aboard Falcon, Waxman won both the Hunter Phase and the Grand Championship of the WIHS International Equitation competition at this year’s Hampton Classic.