Farrington on Fire in $200,000 MARS Equestrian Grand Prix

Some of the world’s biggest stars were out to compete for top honors on Saturday night at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) for the highlight event of the week, the $200,000 MARS Equestrian Grand Prix CSI4*. Crowds filled the WEC Grand Arena once again to watch a star-studded field deliver their best, but in a battle between three of the world’s top riders, it was World No. 3 Kent Farrington (USA) who added another international win to his growing list, aboard Toulayna (Toulon x Parco), owned by Rabbit Root Stables, LLC.

The tracks on Saturday night were impressive. Designed by 2024 Paris Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo (FRA) with assistance from Pieter Vitse (BEL), the course was technical at a glance, but the real challenge came from the tight time allowed, which caught several riders. In the end, only three made it through to the jump-off: World No. 8 and Paris Olympian Richard Vogel (GER), two-time Olympic gold medalist and World No. 7 McLain Ward (USA), and World No. 3 and Olympic silver medalist Kent Farrington (USA), setting up for an exciting showdown.

Richard Vogel (GER) was first to jump-off, piloting his talented Event De L’heribus (Emir De Vy x Komanche Des Fontenis). “It was a tough track and the time allowed was tight enough, as we saw later on. Overall, it was a challenging but very fair course. My horse is naturally fast, but he’s still quite inexperienced at this level, so to start off like that, I’m very proud and happy with him tonight.”

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Vogel and the 10-year-old German-bred gelding gave a great effort in the jump-off, but picked up 12 faults in 45.24 seconds. “He handled the first round really well and gave me a super feeling. He’s still green at this level and needs to get used to the speed, but I couldn’t be happier with him today,” Vogel added.

Next in was McLain Ward, riding High Star Hero (Zazu x Darco), owned by Michael and Wendy Smith. Ward entered with a clear goal. “Kent’s on a pretty epic roll right now — everything’s working, and he’s doing a brilliant job. He has more experience with his horse, and she’s one of the fastest out there. With Richard having a couple down, I figured I’d be neat but not crazy.”

Ward and the 12-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding posted a clear in 49.74 seconds, putting pressure on Farrington.

Kent Farrington, fresh off a win in Thursday’s qualifier and already boasting several five-star and four-star victories this season, was the final rider to contest the jump-off. Riding his lightning-fast Toulayna, Farrington had a clear strategy. “When you go last on a horse you know well, the plan is always to see what the others do. I thought McLain’s strategy was smart — putting pressure on me to jump clear. If he went fast, my horse is probably quicker than his at this stage because she’s more experienced. It was just about being fast enough without making any stupid mistakes.”

Farrington and Toulayna zipped around the track in a blazing 47.21 seconds, securing yet another victory to add to their growing list.

He praised the course and the team behind it. “You have one of the best course builders in the sport today, and I think that’s part of what makes this place so great. They bring in the best in the world to showcase the facility, and they have great support. That’s what you saw tonight — the best riders in the world were the ones who were clear.”

All three — Farrington, Ward, and Vogel — were also part of last year’s Longines League of Nations™, and all are looking forward to its return in the next two weeks. Ward reflected, “The League of Nations last year was something we as Americans in the sport should be incredibly proud of. What the Roberts family, the sponsors, and everyone involved did was outstanding. As athletes, we were proud to show off our sport and our country to the world, and I imagine it’ll only be better this year.”

Farrington echoed the sentiment. “It was incredible. What they’ve built here is amazing, and it takes great sponsors like MARS Equestrian, along with the Roberts family and everyone coming together, to create great events. With the League of Nations, we showed the world we have a top facility and top competition here.”

Bridgett McIntosh, Director of MARS Equestrian, spoke about the importance of the partnership and the evening’s success. “We’re incredibly proud to be a founding partner of the World Equestrian Center from the very beginning, sharing in a vision to create a better world for horses, pets, and people. As both a company and a family with a deep passion for horses and this sport, it’s been an honor to support such an exceptional community. None of this would be possible without all of you, and we’re so grateful for your dedication and for representing the very best in the sport.”

$200,000 MARS Equestrian Grand Prix CSI4* results here.