For the second year in a row, Kent Farrington (USA) and Robin Parsky’s Blue Angel emerged victorious in the $85,000 Salamander Hotels & Resorts Grand Prix CSI 3* during week six at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Farrington and Blue Angel topped a nine-horse jump-off to defend their title, with Harrie Smolders (NED) and Don VHP Z second, Ben Maher (GBR) aboard Valinski S third.
Under the lights of the International Ring at The Stadium at PBIEC Friday night, Richard Jeffery (GBR) set the track for 39 starters in the Salamander Hotels & Resorts Grand Prix, with nine moving on to the jump-off and six double clear rounds.
Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Angelstone Partners’ Appy Cara jumped the first double clear in 43.07 seconds to finish fifth. Charlie Jacobs (USA) and CMJ Sporthorse LLC’s Cassinja S went next with a clear round in 43.63 seconds to place sixth. Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) briefly took the lead in 42.06 seconds with Abunola and ended in fourth. Up next, Harrie Smolders upped the pace with Copernicus Stables LLC’s Don VHP Z in 39.64 seconds, but was immediately pushed into second when Farrington and Blue Angel stole the show with a blazing time of 38.85 seconds. The final clear round came from Ben Maher and Wyndmont’s Valinski S, who jumped into third place in a time of 40.62 seconds.
“I think this style of venue really suits the horse and that’s why I chose to ride her here again this year,” Farrington said of his win with Blue Angel, a 13-year-old Anglo European mare (Luidam x Ascendant). “It’s a small ring, more like an indoor arena. She is naturally fast and can add a stride very quickly.”
“The ride in the jump-off with her really is not to let her get out of her comfort zone,” Farrington noted. “Like going to the last fence, not to go too direct and try to go too fast, more just tone it down and hope that’s enough for the class today. I think I was just on a faster horse. I thought Harrie’s round was incredible. He turned so tight back to the vertical. He went to the whip going to the last fence and did seven strides. I don’t think there was anything else Harrie could do. Luckily, my horse was a little faster today. My horse is also good at a rollback to a vertical like that. Harrie went inside from fence one to two, which was extreme. I didn’t think I could do that and still jump the vertical well and do a short rollback, so I had to hedge my bet a little there at the start.”
“All of us here are super competitive personalities,” Farrington said of the competition. “These are some of the best riders in the world, and we are all out here trying to win all the time. I think that shows the strength of the competition here at WEF, when you see riders of this caliber all competing each weekend.”
$85,000 Salamander Hotels & Resorts Grand Prix CSI 3*
1. BLUE ANGEL: 2002 AES mare by Luidam x Ascendant
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Robin Parsky: 0/0/38.85
2. DON VHP Z: 2004 Zangersheide stallion by Diamant de Semilly x Voltaire
HARRIE SMOLDERS (NED), Copernicus Stables LLC: 0/0/39.64
3. VALINSKI S: 2002 KWPN gelding by Nikinski x Julius
BEN MAHER (GBR), Wyndmont: 0/0/40.62
4. ABUNOLA: 2005 KWPN mare by Numero Uno x Voltaire
LUIS PEDRO BIRABEN (ARG), Luis Pedro Biraben: 0/0/42.06
5. APPY CARA: 2005 KWPN gelding by Guidam x Casco
ERYNN BALLARD (CAN), Angelstone Partners: 0/0/43.07
6. CASSINJA S: 2006 Zweibrücker mare by Carinjo x Cassini I
CHARLIE JACOBS (USA), CMJ Sporthorse LLC: 0/0/43.63
7. WIRMA: 2003 KWPN mare by Hors La Loi III x Lux
BRIANNE GOUTAL (USA), Remarkable Farms LP: 0/4/41.69
8. ENTRE NOUS: 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Conan Z x Ohio van de Padenborre
LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms LLC: 0/4/43.26
9. DOBRA DE PORCEYO: 2006 Warmblood mare by Action Breaker x Indorado
SCHUYLER RILEY (USA), Wolfstone Stables: 0/4/45.73
10. SLIEVEANORRA: 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Voltaire x Flagmount Diamond
RICHIE MOLONEY (IRL), Equinimity LLC: 4/80.61
11. CASPER: 2006 Oldenburg gelding by Contender x Baloubet du Rouet
ANDREW BOURNS (IRL), Andrew Bourns: 4/81.11
12. FLECU: 2004 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Hip Hop x Flamingo
ALEXANDER ZETTERMAN (SWE), Alexander Zetterman: 4/81.42
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