Babington collects in Classic

Show jumper Kevin Babington spent a brief spell in a water jump on Sunday, but he made sure it didn’t dampen his day as he went on to win the $250,000 Hampton Classic in New York.

The US-based Tipperary rider was first into the ring at 8am for a young-horse class, when he took a dive. Completely soaked, he was forced to wear a back-up jacket, missing one button, for the grand prix, declaring afterwards: “Maybe I should start wearing this jacket for good luck.”

Babington pocketed €62,000 in the World Cup class after guiding the nine year-old mare Shorapur to victory in a four-horse jump-off. Third best was Kilkenny’s Richie Moloney who lowered the penultimate fence on Freestyle de Muze, with the Irish duo split by Brianne Goutal and Nice de Prissey.

“It was a careful jump-off. You had to jump all the jumps before you worried about your speed, but she’s naturally a very fast mare, so I can have a fast time without even trying,” said Pennsylvania-based Babington.

It was the first 1.6-metre grand prix for Shorapur, and Babington only decided to enter her instead of another horse after she completed a $10,000 class in the Grand Prix Ring on Friday. “I thought she felt a little too brave over those smaller jumps and that it was time to move her up,” he said.

Moloney’s third place was enough to earn him the $30,000 Longines Leading Rider Challenge for the second consecutive year. Darragh Kenny was almost unassailable for the leading rider title, but was forced to skip Sunday’s grand prix due to the fact he lines out on the Irish team in today’s opening class at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.