The USA’s Kent Farrington has been supplanted from the number one spot in the Longines Show Jumping Rankings by Germany’s Ricie Vogel, who is in that illustrious spot for the first time in his career.
Even Kent’s victory in the $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix with Greya last weekend wasn’t enough to hold off Richie, a member of Germany’s gold medal team at the FEI World Championships last month.
His performance in Aachen gave him an edge over Kent, who did not go to the championships, but then Richie won the 5-star Brussels Grand Prix with Gangster Montdesir on the same day that Kent triumphed at the Classic. The European champion as a result has a 73-point edge over his American rival.
“It still feels very surreal to hear that I am world number one,” Richie said.
“It is a huge achievement and makes me incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve together as a team. As a rider, I am certainly far from being the best in the world, but I believe this title is a pretty good indication that I have the very best team around me.
Richie Vogel and Ganster Montdesir.
“Both the people and, of course, the horses, by my side have made this possible. There are countless people I am grateful to who have supported the young boy with big dreams and helped me get to where I am today. Every single one of you is part of this achievement.
“A very special thank you goes to the whole VW team, especially to my grooms, Felicia and Gigi. The passion, dedication and care you give our horses every single day is the foundation of everything we achieve.
“And the biggest thank you, of course, goes to our horses. Having superstars like United, Cloudio and Gangster under my saddle is a true honor, but this achievement belongs just as much to the many other horses who stand slightly in their shadows, as well as those I have had in the past who taught me so much along the way. They are what drive and motivate us every single day.”
Scott Brash, part of the British bronze medal team in Aachen and a three-time former Longines Rankings leader, has moved up a place to third on 3,274, with new world champion Steve Guerdat of Switzerland going from sixteenth to fourth.
After Kent, the next-highest-ranked American is McLain Ward, ninth. Laura Kraut is twelfth on the roster.