It was a picture-perfect day on the derby field for the $140,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix CSI3* on Saturday, April 16. The highlight class of the second week of the 2022 ESP Spring Series saw a starting order of 36 elite contenders test the opening track set by American course designer Ken Krome. In an exciting jump-off round, Olympic team silver medalist Kent Farrington (USA) and Orafina soared straight to the top of the leaderboard to claim the coveted prize and the lion’s share of the prize money.
“I have now had Orafina for almost two years. I really think a lot of her. She was quite green when I first started riding her. She is exceptionally careful and is really fast, so she is my kind of horse. I am excited about her future,” shared Farrington of the 2012 KWPN mare by For Fashion x Corofina. “Going into an impressive venue like the field here is always a challenge for greener horses like her, especially after jumping a bunch of rounds on the sand. However, I think the footing here is great, and it is a great opportunity to build up a horse on a grass ring.”
The class showcased an international field of entries representing 17 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, and Venezuela. Krome created a pattern of 13 obstacles in the first round, which ultimately saw eight partnerships leave all the rails in their cups to advance to the jump-off.