Double Victories for Farrington at the Finale of Jumping International Valence

On the final afternoon of competition at the Jumping International of Valence horse show,  USA’s Kent Farrington achieved back-to-back Grand Prix wins. First with the eight-year-old gelding Baltic Star 2, owned by Farrington and Tanma Corp., in the 1.45 MMA/SFAM Grand Prix, then with the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Gazelle (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Indoctro) in the Grand Prix of Valence CSI5*.

Italy’s Uliano Vezzani designed the 13-obstacle-course for the feature presentation of the four day competition. Forty-five horse and rider combinations took to the 1.60m track with the hopes of securing the lump sum of the €300,000 purse. Only 11 made it to the jump-off, with Farrington securing the victory with the fastest of the clear rounds in 35.32s.

It’s been a successful few months of competition for the FEI World No. 1 ranked rider and Gazelle, who he owns with Robin Parsky. The duo helped Team USA secure a tied, 2nd place finish in the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen. And, for the second time in two years, they were victorious in the ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup Grand Prix at the Spruce Meadows show grounds in Alberta, Canada. 

Source: Noelle Floyd