World number one-ranked show jumper Kent Farrington of the USA was concise in commenting on his performance after losing the Rolex International Jumping Riders Top 10 Final by 0.16 seconds to Great Britain’s Scott Brash on Friday night.
“The horse jumped to win tonight and the rider rode to lose, so that was not good,” Kent said ruefully of his second-round trip in Geneva, Switzerland’s Palexpo arena aboard Toulayna.
Continuing to beat himself up, he commented, “That was stupid riding.”
It cost him a third victory in the class that always attracts the sport’s stars and this time included two Olympic individual gold medalists and the European champion.
Kent Farrington, wearing the world number one armband, and Toulayna.
Last to go, Kent had the advantage of watching Scott’s 45.63-second effort on Hello Chadora Lady, a 14-year-old daughter of the famous Chacco Blue.
“I thought I matched his round early,” mused Kent, noting Scott’s horse “is a bit quicker across the ground. I saw everybody knocking down the second-to-last vertical (the black and blue IJRC fence) so I tried to play it a little easy there.
“I probably needed one less (stride) to the last,” which was the Rolex oxer.
Of Scott’s effort, Kent observed, “He just caught me by a whisker.” The American was clocked in 45.79 seconds on his intrepid 11-year-old Zangersheide mare.
Scott Brash and Hello Chadora Lady on their way to victory.
Scott, who collected 170,000 Euros (nearly $200,000 U.S.) after his precision trip, said, “I’m absolutely delighted, and delighted for the mare. I always had this class in mind for her.”
In 2014, Scott took the IJRC title and then became the only rider ever to win the Rolex Grand Slam.
It also bears mentioning that the Olympic team double gold medalist won the world’s richest grand prix, another Rolex feature, at Spruce Meadows in September over a course that was remarkable for its difficulty.
He noted Chadora is the type of alert contender who “just wants to get on with it.” So “it’s a balance, letting her get on with it but still listening to me. She was absolutely incredible. She was amazing.”
The podium in Geneva: winner Scott Brash, center; runner-up Kent Farrington, left and third-place Richie Vogel.
European Champion Richie Vogel of Germany was third on the aptly named gray stallion, Cloudio, despite being faster than the top two, finishing in 44.24 seconds. That was because he carried over 4 faults from his first trip, but was able to rise from eighth place in the initial round to reach the podium in the second, after those who had been ahead of him either had rails or a slower time.
“I’m very happy with Cloudio’s performance tonight,” Richie commented.
“It’s his first time in Geneva. The way he felt home in the arena tonight was absolutely amazing. I was very disappointed after the result in the first round, where I had a clear misunderstanding while approaching fence 10 ending up with a pole down”.
The course, put together by Swiss designer Gérard Lachat and Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo of France, featured several fences higher than 1.60 meters. But the real demand of the second round was in its twists and turns, particularly at the sixth of 10 fences, a vertical flanked by Christmas trees that demanded a sweeping approach which could not be cut too close. Ben Maher, Britain’s 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist, fell off there when Dalls Vegas Batilly stopped on the angle.
The Top Ten class has unique appeal.
“I think it’s just great to be here and to be part of the Top 10 class. And I think if you run this class 10 times, you’ll probably get 10 different results. It’s just amazing,” Scott said.
Kent was the only American in the line-up. Although Laura Kraut and McLain Ward qualified for the class, both instead stayed in the U.S. to win at Desert International Horse Park in California..
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