Lexington, KY – May 8, 2024 – Newly minted World No. 1 show jumping athlete solidified his status at the top of the Longines Rankings on Thursday as he claimed the top spot in the $62,500 Spring Classic CSI3*. FEI show jumping action took center stage during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show as 68 top horse and rider combinations gathered at the Rolex Stadium to vie for the winning prize. At the end of the night, it was Farrington and Orafina who flew through the finish line to capture the victory. They bested second-place finishers Francisco Goyoaga Mollet & Stakato Cornet by 3 seconds, while Shane Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z rounded out the top three in the international field.
“The plan for the jump off is always let Orafina go Orafina speed,” laughed Farrington after his win. “The first round is the hardest because you’re actually trying to slow her down the whole time and then in the jump off you just let her run like she wants to run – that’s actually normally the easier of the two rounds. If I can get into the jump off, she’s normally a good contender.”
Kent Farrington & Orafina. Photo by: Winslow Photography
Course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral tested riders with a challenging 13-obstacle track that utilized the expansive Rolex Stadium and tight time allowed. It featured a triple bar line to a vertical-oxer double combination, and an oxer-vertical-vertical triple combination near the end of the course before riders headed home over the final line of oxers. Only four pairs advanced to the tiebreaker, which began over a new line before rolling back to a wide oxer and then jumping the first part of the triple combination. Athletes finished with another tight rollback before a long gallop to the final oxer.
“[Bernardo] had a lot of entries tonight,” noted Farrington. “I think he used the time allowed to be a big factor in the class, which I think is smart. It’s a good way to separate the field without putting riders or horses in a position where they’re in trouble by building a class stronger than expected.”
Shane Sweetnam & Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z
While four combinations were clear over the first round, eight left all the rails intact but had faults on the clock. Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam was the pathfinder with Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z, and was able to produce a second clear effort during the jump-off as he stopped the clock in a conservative 43.44 seconds. Francisco Goyoaga Mollet was next with Stakato Cornet, and was also able to leave the rails in their cups, bettering the time as he broke the beam in 40.86 seconds. He did not hold the lead for long though, with Farrington and Orafina aiming for a quick round. They did not disappoint, shaving the turns and taking a risk to the penultimate vertical. The duo dashed across the finish line in 37.50 seconds to claim the top spot. Alex Granato was the last to challenge them with El Diablo Du Nord, but a rail down would add 4 faults to their score and guarantee Farrington’s victory.
Francisco Goyoaga Mollet & Stakato Cornet
“Orafina feels great,” said Farrington. “I gave her a long break – she had almost a year off from an injury, but started up strong in Florida. She won a few classes there, already won a few classes, and jumped some 1.55m. I keep her at this level. I brought her here before I go to Europe, so she’s done now for a little bit. She gets a rest, a little paddock time and I’ll pick back up with her up when I’m back in the States.”
Farrington took over the top spot on the Longines Rankings on Monday, and was thrilled to have earned the prestigious title again. “It’s great,” he expressed. “I had to dust this armband off. It was a little dirty – hadn’t been pulled out in a while, but felt great to put it on again.”
The Kentucky Horse Park recently hosted the $400,000 Kentucky International Grand Prix CSI5*, which Farrington won with Greya to help secure his top spot in the rankings, and he was thrilled to be back for two more weeks of competition. He concluded, “It’s a wonderful place to bring young horses with a large warmup area, a friendly schedule with lots of different classes at different levels, so I can sort of bring some of my greener horses here and let them get some experience.”
The next event for Farrington will be Saturday night’s $125,000 Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix CSI3*. FEI show jumping will continue next week during the Kentucky Spring Classic, which will feature another $62,500 Spring Classic CSI3* on Thursday, as well as the $125,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3*, presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. Riders can also compete each Sunday during the $35,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix, presented by Sterling Equestrian/Forest Hill and the $15,000 U25 Grand Prix.
For more information on the Kentucky Spring Series please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com