August 28th, 2023 - Hampton Classic This Weekend

The eyes of the equestrian world are on Bridgehampton this week, as some of the nation's best riders and horses compete in what has become an annual rite of summer on Suffolk's East End: the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Robert Brodsky reports on Newsday.com that the 47th annual event, which opened yesterday, has transformed in recent years into one of the largest outdoor horse shows in the United States, attracting an estimated 50,000 people for the weeklong event that features more than 200 competitions and a who's who of A-list celebrities, from Billy Joel, Brooke Shields and Jimmy Fallon to Jennifer Lopez and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen. "The Hampton Classic is really a fixture on the horse show calendar for the top riders in the country, if not the world," said Shanette Cohen, executive director of the event. "We attract a lot of professional competitors, but the vast majority of people who compete here are amateurs, both adults and children." The Classic, which is held at the 60-acre Bridgehampton showgrounds, will play host this year to hunter, jumper and equitation classes in six show rings with the athletes, human and equine, vying for more than $1 million in prize money. At least seven Olympic veterans, including five-time U.S. Olympian and seven-time Hampton Classic Grand Prix winner McLain Ward, are expected to compete in this year's event, officials said. In addition to the riding, the Classic features more than 75 vendors, international food options, an annual Adoption Day today for rescued dogs, cats and horses, and pony rides and petting zoo animals for children. ***A long-anticipated auction of 14 acres of former United States Coast Guard housing located off Stewart Avenue in Westhampton was re-scheduled again this week from August 21 to September 6 — but now, officials say the auction may not be necessary at all if a Town of Southampton-led plan to acquire the property is approved by the General Services Administration. Tom Gogola reports on 27east.com that the town and GSA have put a pause on the public sale, said GSA spokesman Paul Hughes, “to provide an opportunity for the town to formalize their interest in acquiring the property.” The town has assembled a multiparty group “that is trying to put together a package that would be accepted by the Coast Guard,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. Opening bids for the property were to start at $5 million. Schneiderman said he has “asked for an assist” from New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Representative Nick LaLota, and that there was potential for Suffolk County, the state and local government to put together a package “to make it affordable.” ***More than half of New York’s registered voters believe the state is headed in the wrong direction — and 80% are demanding term limits for the governor and legislators, a new poll shows. Carl Campanile and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon report in THE NY POST that the fed-up respondents gave Gov. Kathy Hochul a dismal 40% approval rating, a big drop from her 50% figure from a survey released just three months ago, according to the independent Unite NY’s Voter Empowerment Index unveiled yesterday. Other state lawmakers fared even worse with a 27% approval rating, down from their recent 36%. Overall, 53% of the state’s voters said they don’t like where the state is headed politically, and 40% said they are considering leaving. ***Unsuspecting New York drivers are being hit by an automatic hike in their vehicle insurance bill to pay for supple