KENT FARRINGTON WINS BACK-TO-BACK FEI JUMPING WORLD CUP™ TRAVERSE CITY TITLES
World no. 1 Kent Farrington (USA) won the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ CSI5*-W - Traverse City for the second year in a row on Sunday to launch the 2025/2026 North American League [NAL] season.
As a crowd of showjumping fans gathered on the banks of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, top athletes from North America and beyond competed at Flintfields Horse Park for a hopeful bid at the 2026 FEI World Cup™ Final in Fort Worth, Texas. After leading the NAL standings last season, Farrington now leads the standings with 20 points to start the season.
From a jump-off field of seven, Farrington and Greya were the only pair to stop the clock under 40 seconds, clocking in at 39.45 seconds for the win.
Spencer Smith (USA) pocketed the first double-clear of the day, riding Keeneland to a time of 41 seconds flat over the short course. Smith is hoping for his first FEI World Cup™ Final appearance on home soil this season with the 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Carmena Z x Quattro) owned in partnership with Storm Ridge Capital, LLC and Ashland Farms. In third, Jacob Pope (USA) piloted Highway FBH, a 13-year-old Dutch-bred stallion (Plot Blue x Cornet Obolensky) owned together with Sherri Crawford to a time of 41.11 seconds.
“Greya continues to improve and evolve as a showjumper, so I'm really proud of her today,” said Farrington of his 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Colestus x Contender). “Today, you're seeing a more mature horse than I had last year, even though she was already winning. I didn't think today would be the fastest jump-off in the world, but still big jumps and difficult enough to go clear.
“She has a better understanding of the sport,” continued Farrington of Greya’s growth throughout the last year, which in part helped him ascend to world no. 1. “I know her better now; how to give her enough time before she goes in the ring, what jumps I need to show her, where I can take more risks, where I need to play it a little more safely. You only learn these things by doing the sport, and I think ultimately that's what our sport is about—a rapport with your horse and getting to know your horse.”
Sunday’s win marks Farrington and Greya’s second five-star Grand Prix win at Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) in as many months. “I think the level of sport in North America is really good. We've got great facilities like here in Traverse City, which helps us do the sport better because we have good conditions, great course builders, good jumps and great competitors too. We get a nice crowd that’s been very supportive of me, so I love coming back here today.”
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Edited by HT
Full results here