The world’s number one-ranked show jumper, Kent Farrington, has won yet another grand prix — but this time with a new horse.
On Saturday at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, the U.S. star topped a field of 28 with a skillfully executed jump-off on Descartes, a horse he doesn’t know well but is figuring out fast. And fast he was in the six-horse tiebreaker, with a fault-free trip in 43.338 seconds that clinched victory in the $75,000 national grand prix over a 1.50 meter course designed by Oscar Soberon.
Recounting how he and his mount found each other, Kent said, “Francisco Pasquel called me and said he has an unbelievable horse in Mexico for me, and said I had to come and ride it. So, I flew to Mexico to ride the horse and here we are.”
Kent Farrington and Descartes. (Andrew Ryback Photography)
With limited mileage as a pair, Farrington kept his jump-off plan simple.
“He has a giant stride and a great canter, so I just trusted it and did my round,” Kent said.
That trust paid off as the 9-year-old Mexican-bred gelding galloped effortlessly around the short course, stopping the clock clear in 43.338 seconds to take over the top spot. Tracy Fenney was close, but not close enough, on MTM Apple in 43.970.
Descartes previously was ridden by Nikolaj Hein Ruus of Denmark. The horse’s best effort with that rider in 2025 came in April with a third-place finish at 1.35 meters in a Guadalajara 4-star competition.
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