FORT WORTH, TX — Ranked No. 2 in the world, Farrington entered the final round with no margin for error. He pulled a rail in the first round of Sunday’s final, coming in with 4 faults. Germany’s Daniel Deusser went clean and sat behind Farrington with 7 penalties total. A clear round would win the title. That kind of pressure could crack anyone—anyone but Kent.
“From a little kid, I’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself,” he shared. “At a certain point, there’s no more pressure to put on. “I just focus on my task at hand, be in the present, be one with my horse, and not worry about the end result in that moment.”
With his superstar mare, Greya, he produced the clear round required to win his first World Cup Final. “She delivered,” he said. “She’s really a superstar athlete.”
Although Farrington rode Greya in Friday and Sunday’s classes, he made sure to credit Thursday’s win to Toulayna in appreciation of both of his great mares. “I couldn’t have done it without Toulayna on day one,” he said. “I have two exceptional mares, and they put me in the position that I am here to win the title.”
The win marks a significant milestone in Farrington’s career, adding the World Cup Final title to an already decorated résumé that includes Olympic team silver. For Farrington, it was personal.
“The World Cup Final is special to me because that’s what I grew up watching,” he shared. “I didn’t have access to high-level shows, but I had videotapes of the World Cup Final. I would watch them over and over and study all the riders—and pretend that I could ride like them.”
Of course, Farrington doesn’t have to pretend anymore. He’s right there at the top.
Following the Finals, both Greya and Touylana will get a well-earned break before heading to the FEI World Championships in Aachen later this summer. “They showed a bunch in Wellington, so we had a long season leading up to this. This was what we were aiming for after Florida, and now I’ll give them a month off,” he said.
Germany’s Daniel Deusser finished second after three days of consistent performances. A two-time Olympic veteran and the 2014 World Cup champion, Deusser came into the final in strong form and delivered throughout the week. “To be honest, the last couple of months I already had very good, very consistent results,” Deusser said. “My expectations were high. I didn’t really think about winning because everything was very close and we had very strong combinations here, but you always dream a little bit.”
Despite a rail earlier in the competition, Deusser and his stallion produced a strong final effort to secure the runner-up position. “I had a very good start on day one,” Deusser said. “One rail down pushed me a little bit back, but today he really tried his heart out. He really did his very best.”
Rounding out the podium was the United States’ Katherine Dinan. Last year, she finished eighth overall and was beaming to be on the podium today. Dinan produced clear rounds throughout the week, including a double clear on the final day. “I’m in awe of my horse,” Dinan said. “She was spectacular every day. I owe everything to her.”
Out of the Blue SCF is an American-bred mare out of Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Competing on a U.S.-bred horse on home soil made the success extra special. “It’s exciting to represent my country like that, especially at a World Cup on home soil,” she said. Course designer Anderson Lima created tracks throughout the week that challenged the field while allowing top performances to shine. “It ended up pretty much the way I was thinking,” Lima said of Sunday’s courses. “The second round added a little extra [clears] than I wanted, but the riders did a great job.”
Top 10 Finishers — Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final (Fort Worth)
- Kent Farrington (USA) — Greya — 4 penalties
- Daniel Deusser (GER) — Otello de Guldenboom — 7 penalties
- Katherine A. Dinan (USA) — Out of the Blue SCF — 9 penalties
- René Dittmer (GER) — Cody 139 — 9 penalties
- Kevin Staut (FRA) — Visconti du Telman — 10 penalties
- Steve Guerdat (SUI) — Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte — 16 penalties
- Aaron Vale (USA) — Carissimo 25 — 16 penalties
- Abdel Saïd (BEL) — Quaker Brimbelles Z — 18 penalties
- Richard Vogel (GER) — Gangster Montdesir — 18 penalties
- Lillie Keenan (USA) — Kick On — 18 penalties
