PrintClean was the key for Darragh Kerins.
Darragh Kerins wasn’t thrilled with the task before him in the jump-off for the $100,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon.
“I just hate that situation—going in and knowing you have to jump a clear round and you’re last to go,” he said.
None of the four riders who jumped off before him had gone clean. “I knew there were two big oxers to roll back on, and I didn’t know if I had enough time to go around them. I was afraid of making a mistake. But it turned out well for me this evening.”
Kerins gambled wisely on Night Train, taking an efficient route with a conservative pace and leaving all the rails in the cups to win his first grand prix at the Devon Horse Show, May 26-31 in Devon, Pa.
“To win here tonight is just unbelievable. This is for sure Night Train’s biggest win,” he said of the 9-year-old gelding.
Kerins and Night Train helped the Irish team to fourth place in the CN Nations Cup in Wellington, Fla., in March. A native Irishman, Kerins has been based in New York for 14 years. Kerins has no aspirations to represent Ireland internationally this year.
“This is kind of an in-between year for us. I had planned to go to Europe to show, but we have a lot of young horses to bring along. Hopefully, some of them will be ready to go to Europe with Night Train next year,” Kerins said.
“I would have preferred Darragh’s situation,” joked Kent Farrington, who went third in the jump-off and had a rail down and the fastest time for second place with Up Chiqui. “I thought I had a very unlucky rail. It was a great win for Darragh tonight.”
Up Chiqui and Farrington returned to win the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake two nights later to conclude the show.
Hillary Dobbs rode her way to third place aboard Corlett. Dobbs, 19 and a sophomore at Harvard University (Mass.), also won three other open jumper classes and placed second in one to clinch the open jumper championship and leading open jumper rider titles.
Dobbs and Corlett had just the last rail down in the grand prix jump-off.
Darragh Kerins wasn’t thrilled with the task before him in the jump-off for the $100,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon.
“I just hate that situation—going in and knowing you have to jump a clear round and you’re last to go,” he said.
None of the four riders who jumped off before him had gone clean. “I knew there were two big oxers to roll back on, and I didn’t know if I had enough time to go around them. I was afraid of making a mistake. But it turned out well for me this evening.”Kerins gambled wisely on Night Train, taking an efficient route with a conservative pace and leaving all the rails in the cups to win his first grand prix at the Devon Horse Show, May 26-31 in Devon, Pa.
“To win here tonight is just unbelievable. This is for sure Night Train’s biggest win,” he said of the 9-year-old gelding.
Kerins and Night Train helped the Irish team to fourth place in the CN Nations Cup in Wellington, Fla., in March. A native Irishman, Kerins has been based in New York for 14 years. Kerins has no aspirations to represent Ireland internationally this year.
“This is kind of an in-between year for us. I had planned to go to Europe to show, but we have a lot of young horses to bring along. Hopefully, some of them will be ready to go to Europe with Night Train next year,” Kerins said.
“I would have preferred Darragh’s situation,” joked Kent Farrington, who went third in the jump-off and had a rail down and the fastest time for second place with Up Chiqui. “I thought I had a very unlucky rail. It was a great win for Darragh tonight.”
| Devon Tidbit Kent Farrington has started using a bit on Up Chiqui’s bridle, rather than the hackamore the chestnut gelding has shown in for two years. “After we went to the FEI World Cup Final [in Sweden in April, where they placed 13th], I felt that I really needed to work on his rideability for bigger events,” Farrington said. “I think I’m able to get away with a lot sometimes if the jumps aren’t maximum height, or if its in a big, open ring, so I can set him up further away. But riding him indoors with the jumps being quite large, I just felt like I needed some more control. I left there saying that I was going to make it a mission of mine to get him better trained on the flat and ride him in a bridle. It’s a double-jointed plastic snaffle.” |
Up Chiqui and Farrington returned to win the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake two nights later to conclude the show.
Hillary Dobbs rode her way to third place aboard Corlett. Dobbs, 19 and a sophomore at Harvard University (Mass.), also won three other open jumper classes and placed second in one to clinch the open jumper championship and leading open jumper rider titles.
Dobbs and Corlett had just the last rail down in the grand prix jump-off.
