Opening Day Victory for Farrington and Uceko in the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament

On the opening day of the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, World No. 1 Kent Farrington piloted the 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Uceko (Celano x Koriander) owned by RCG Farm to a first place finish in the 1.50 Husky Energy Cup on Thursday.

The 11-obstacle-course was designed by Leopoldo Palacios Jugo of Venezuela, and the time allowed was set at a competitive 67 seconds. Of the 46 riders, only three went without fault to make it into the final round. In the jump off, Farrington was joined by Juan Manuel Luzardo of Uruguay and the Husky Energy Cup defending champion Eric Lamaze. The World No. One rider put up a speedy time of 35.57 to secure the first place position.

Earlier in the year, Farrington and Uceko won the $200,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping at Wellington Masters in Wellington, Florida. Their most recent win on the grass field isn’t surprising for the duo who racked up five whopping CSI5* wins during the 2015 Spruce Meadows Summer Series, a testament to their longtime partnership.

“I plan his year around Spruce Meadows, and then I pick and choose the other shows around that,” said Farrington. “I tend to show him very little and I like to go to the places he likes – he loves the grass, and he has always done well here. Leopoldo is known for his tight time allowed and I think that played a big factor today. [There were] a couple very delicate fences, and when you jump to try and make the time, you tend to run into mistakes.”

Source: Noelle Floyd