Farrington and Creedance Claim the Suncast 1.50m Championship

Week Ten of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, concluded on Sunday, March 20, featuring the $35,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic in the International Ring at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The class saw a win for Kent Farrington (USA) and RCG Farm’s and Farrington's Creedance, with Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Picolo in second, and Abdel Said (EGY) aboard Luron S Z third.

Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) set the final track for this week's 1.50m for 55 starters, with ten clear rounds, and six double clear entries in the jump-off.

“I think Vaillancourt is one of the top designers, and I am always happy when he builds because I think it is a technical course without crazy size,” Farrington remarked. “He usually ends up with the right amount clear. I thought he did a great job with the grand prix on Saturday. It was a mixed field of horses, and he did not end up with a million clear, and we had a good class without it being impossible to jump. I think he is one of the best builders we have around here.”

Speaking of his winning jump-off, Farrington stated, "[Creedance] is already fast all by himself, so that is a big advantage. Before, his steering was not so good, but we have really been working on that for a while without the speed. Today, I let him go a little bit quicker, but he has the advantage that he can both turn really short to the fences and he is very fast across the ground naturally."

Farrington got Creedance, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Lord Z x Notaris) one year ago and has been taking his time to bring the horse along and work on his rideabilty. "He is still very green; he has not done a whole lot, but I think he could be a really special horse," Farrington detailed. "He is extremely hot, so it has taken a little while to make him manageable, but he is a real jumper, and he is like a Jack Russell Terrier in the ring. He reminds me of an old horse I had called Up Chiqui, who was an exceptional horse. I think this horse has a lot of similar characteristics, and if I can teach him to harness his energy, I think he could be something special."

Creedance jumped Week Ten's WEF Challenge Cup along with Sunday's 1.50m. Farrington plans to show him in Week Eleven's WEF Challenge Cup as well, and will then decide if the gelding is ready to try the grand prix. "I am not sure yet. He is just nine years old, so I will see how that goes and decide what the next move is," Farrington noted.

Source: Jennifer Wood Media