Throughout the year, show jumping superstar Kent Farrington might have grown accustomed to the world No. 1 title preceding his name, as he now holds the top spot on the Longines Rankings list for the eighth month in a row with 3,228 points to close out 2017. In addition, fellow American athlete McLain Ward rounds out the competition year as world No. 2 with 2,933 points.
“I actually don't think about the rankings too much. I think it's more a consequence of results going well. My focus is always on doing what's best for the horses I have to ride at that given time. I try to plan the schedule around what's best for my team of horses and the goals I set. Wherever the rest of it comes out, that's fine with me," said Farrington.
A Rio Olympic silver medalist, Farrington overtook Ward to jump up to the No. 1 spot for the first time in May. Featured prominently in the rankings since 2013, his victories in the 2017 Antwerp Grand Prix CSI5* with Sherkan D’Amaury and Global Champions League Final CSI5* in Miami Beach with Creedance boosted his points tally to finally clinch the coveted world No. 1 slot.
Ever since, he has been unstoppable, headlining horse show news with countless wins on multiple mounts, most recently winning his first Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* at CHI Geneva with his own and Robin Parsky’s Gazelle.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” remarked Farrington on his Rolex Grand Prix win. “I believe I have a strong team of horses right now and I hope that I can continue that. I think it’s important to not be asleep at the wheel. I’m proud of the results that we have, but my focus is always on the future — what’s coming next, where do I want to go, what’s my current team of horses and what do I need down the road. That’s my mindset. It’s always been that way. It takes a long time to do and a long time to build — especially when you started near zero.”
Farrington and Gazelle, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, claimed notable FEI wins throughout the year including the $380,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* at Tryon Fall V, the €300,000 Grand Prix of Valence CSI5*, the €300,000 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Madrid CSI5*, the $380,000 Fidelity Investments® Grand Prix CSI5* at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) and three victories at Spruce Meadows, to contribute to his unreachable point total.
With a string of impressive horses, Farrington says, “It depends on a large number of factors, [who I choose to compete]. Everything from the venue to the footing to the horse’s condition at that time to their age to what shows they’ve done recently or what shows are coming after. It’s a lot of variables and I try to take as many of them into account as I can and then build the best strategy from there.”
Farrington has also found success with Amalaya Investments’ 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding and 2016 Rio Olympic mount, Voyeur. The pair captured the $150,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Toronto at the Royal Horse Show in November and the $125,000 New Albany Classic Invitational Grand Prix CSI2* at the end of September.
Farrington and R.C.G. Farm’s Creedance is known to be small, but mighty as he quickly began to consistently top the standings with Farrington throughout 2017. The 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding recently led Farrington to victory in the $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3* at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show, where the 36-year-old top athlete selflessly donated all of his earnings to the Direct Relief fund for hurricane victims. The pair started their year off strong, winning the $130,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round Seven CSI5* and later earning second place in the $130,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* at WEF. Over the spring and summer, the pair also collected wins on the Longines Global Champions Tour in Shanghai and Monaco.
R.C.G. Farm provided another top mount in the veteran 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood Uceko, who led Farrington to victory in the Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia at CHIO Aachen and the PwC Cup at the Spruce Meadows ‘North American’ Tournament over the summer. Farrington also had the help of Tanma Corp. and his own 10-year-old German Warmblood, Dublin, and the 11-year-old Selle Français gelding Sherkan D’Amaury, owned by Farrington, Daniel Crown and Haity McNerney, to earn valuable points toward his top spot.
Farrington is a five-time Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping finalist and also won team bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto as well as at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy in addition to team gold at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
“This is really a team sport. Not only do I need the horses to be able to do it but also a great team of owners and a great team of support staff,” said Farrington. “For me to be able to do what I’m doing, I’m really living my dream from when I was a little kid. I feel very fortunate to have great people around me who are making this all possible. I couldn’t do it without them. I think it’s really important that’s also recognized. I’m not a sprinter — I have to have a lot of people around me in order to make this go. It’s not just me and my shoes on the track.”
American show jumping athletes hold significant spots on the Longines Rankings world leaderboard with Farrington on top leading by 295 points, followed by Ward in second as well as the top two ranked female riders. Beezie Madden is the best ranked woman in the 25th spot, while Laura Kraut is close behind in 29th.
View the article on page 21 of the Fall 2017 USET Newsletter.