Edited Press Release
World no. 10, Kent Farrington (USA) claimed the $340,000 CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City on Sunday as the FEI North American League made its debut at Traverse City Horse Shows during the Tournament of Champions. As crowds gathered on the edge of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, some of the top riders from North America and beyond converged at Flintfields Horse Park for a chance to earn vital qualifying points towards the 2025 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Basel, Switzerland.
A familiar face in the North American League, Alan Wade (IRL) built a course that suited the challenge for a 35-horse field. As the first to produce a fault-free effort in round one, Farrington set the pace over the tie-breaking jump-off. Six additional pairings from five different nations ultimately joined him in the return. Farrington and his own Greya, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare (Colestus x Contender), cleared the final timers in 37.19 seconds, daring the remainder of the field to catch them.
“I went first, and I thought the class would be fast, but I didn’t think that it would be wild,” described Farrington. “I thought I had done a pretty aggressive round and that someone would have to try hard to catch it. It got a little closer [to the final fence] than I would have liked, but we had luck on our side today.”
For Farrington, having a class of this caliber at the start of the fall schedule in the United States is a step in the right direction for the sport in his home country.
“I think that this is great for American show jumping,” he stated. “You’re starting to see some new faces like Sam [Hutton] and Abdel [Saïd] and this whole team coming from Europe, and I think that says a lot about the venues and the prize money that we have. The support that we’re getting from the industry and sponsors is great for our sport and great for North America.”
Watch how they won here.
Click here to read more, and to see full competition results click here.
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Ruah Rally to Win CSI2* Grand Prix
USA’s Kristen Vanderveen tackled a challenging track in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring during the second week of the Traverse City Tournament of Champions. She secured the win in the $40,000 CSI2* Grand Prix aboard Bull Run’s Ruah.
From a field of 41 combinations over Alan Wade’s (IRL) final two-star track of the week, Vanderveen is no stranger to the winner’s circle at Traverse City Horse Shows. This time, she piloted her eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Caracho x Quintero).
“This is his first two-star ever so he’s starting off with a bang here,” Vanderveen laughed. “He’s a little unique and has a bit of his own style technique but he’s brave and he’s careful, and even though he’s a big boy he’s quick enough. He has really only done basic classes where there aren’t as many questions, so today he felt like a real adult.”
Ruah is one of many in Vanderveen’s current successful string, which she credits to careful selection based on character.
“I try to look at their character when I’m buying,” she detailed. “For me, I am always looking for something brave and willing versus overly sharp because they seem like the ones that want to learn, and once they learn they are always careful enough. I do some wild things in the jump-off so, they have to be all-in with me and then we figure it out together.”
Click here to read more, and to see full competition results click here.
