Kent Farrington (USA) and Greya rose to the top of the standings after a stellar jump-off performance to take top honors in the highest rated Grand Prix in Wellington International history, the $1,000,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5*, a Rolex Series Event. Before a sold-out crowd surrounding the International Ring, the duo stopped the timers in an impressive 42.99 seconds to secure their position at the top of the podium ahead of Ben Maher (GBR) and Enjeu De Grisien, who finished in second place, and Richard Vogel (GER) and Gangster Montdesir rounding out the top three.

Outlier Athlete

“You do this for a long time, and you have some good horses, maybe some great horses, and then you have horses that are an outlier athlete like I believe Greya is,” said Farrington of his partnership with the mare. According to stats provided by EquiRatings, the pair were competing in their 16th CSI5* 1.60m jump-off together, boasting an impressive 60%-win rate from those jump-offs. The victory also marked Greya’s 10th CSI5* Grand Prix win — a testament to a partnership that Farrington describes as once-in-a-career. “She can do everything. She’s fast, she’s careful, she’s scopey, and she’s rideable. She is just an incredible horse, and that is what you are seeing [in the arena.]”

With a start list featuring many of the world’s top combinations, including six athletes currently ranked inside the top ten of the FEI Jumping World Rankings, alongside numerous Olympians and World Championship combinations, the class lived up to expectations, showcasing the absolute best of international jumping sport. The second edition of the US Equestrian Open Jumping Final continued to bring prestige, visibility, and energy to the evening’s already well-established esteem, with wall-to-wall promotion and coverage, as well as in-depth storytelling and performance data analysis.

Mind Blowing

“I’ve been in the sport almost all my life and to be able to sit here and watch a Grand Prix like tonight – it’s mind blowing how good it was,” said Michael Stone, President of Wellington International. “The fact that the crowd silenced when the riders and horses were on course – you could hear a pin drop – and then as they came down to the last fence, everyone was cheering. It was really amazing.

For Stone, the evening represented a milestone and also some motivation for the future. “We’ve always strived to elevate the sport in the U.S.,” he explained. “This is what we are trying to achieve, and it drives us to achieve more, to make it better, and to continue onwards and upwards.”

With a testing track designed by the skilled Guilherme Jorge (BRA), the course demanded accuracy, scope, and tremendous athleticism from the 40 qualified combinations, navigating through the course which featured 18 efforts, and ensuring a highlight finish.

In the first round, Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) and Greya, a 2014 Oldenburg mare (Colestus x Contessa 128) owned by Kent Farrington, LLC, and cared for by Denise Moriarty, set the tone early in the evening, posting the fastest clear effort of the first round with a time of 79.87 seconds.

Million-Dollar Purse

“I think that is what this course should be and was tonight,” Farrington shared. “It’s a million-dollar purse, you have the best riders in the world, and an incredibly strong starting field. If you under build the course even a little bit, you could easily see 20 clears.” With five clear first round efforts, Farrington felt the balance was just right. “It’s very possible to jump clear, and I think that is what this level of competition should be about.”

Going third in the jump-off order, the pair took on an abbreviated eight-fence track with precision. In a decisive tactical move, Farrington chose a different line through the second turn than second-place Maher, finding a more direct route that proved to make the difference. Greya stepped up to the challenge, and the duo stopped the clock in 42.99 seconds to seal the victory.

“I knew it was going to be a tough competition. I really trusted [Greya’s] speed tonight,” Farrington said “I tried to go fast enough to put pressure on the others but not take any ridiculous risks. I think the plan luckily paid off.”

Impact

When asked about the Open and the impact that the series can have, Farrington said “People start to understand. They start to follow, they start to know who the riders are, and they know who the horses are. I think that’s really what our sport becomes about. It starts with a community here knowing what to cheer for.”

The US Equestrian Open Jumping Final is the first of the three finals to be hosted as part of the new innovative US Equestrian Open Series. The next final will be the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final hosted at Morven Park International in Leesburg, Va., from October 8-11, followed by the US Equestrian Open Dressage Final to be hosted at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif., from November 13-14.

Results