Wellington, Fla.—Feb. 22
Though he be little, he is fierce.
Creedance isn’t the tallest horse and he doesn’t have the biggest stride, but he uses his compact build and rapid pace as potent weapons in a jump-off. And in the $130,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 7, he emerged on top of a field of 56 starters and a jump-off of 14 horses.
“I can’t try to do stride numbers that other horses do. I have to win on short turns and using his foot speed,” said Kent Farrington, who rode the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding to the top of the class. “I watched a couple go early in the jump-off just to be sure about my plan, but he is very fast by himself, so I have to stick to his routine.”
Kent Farrington on Creedance. Photo by Sportfot
Farrington continued, “I think the horse is naturally quick, and I naturally ride pretty quick. I did one extra stride to the oxer before the rollback turn. That probably made it easier to rollback shorter, and he is fast enough to do that. A slower horse, if they add a stride there, they are going to be two seconds behind, so I think a smaller, quicker horse has the advantage on a rollback like that.”
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Farrington and Creedance took the win with a time of 33.92 seconds; Ireland’s Conor Swail guided Finca Horses’ Flower to second place in 34.14 seconds and Japan’s Karen Polle jumped With Wings into third place with a time of 34.24 seconds.
“It is a big week here; a five-star week in Florida,” Farrington said after his win. “I have been bringing Creedance up slow, and this is his first five-star show here. We are off to a great start. He jumped last week under the lights in the small ring, and I thought he was a bit rusty. He came out in much better form today, so I am happy with his progress, if nothing else.”
Creedance won two five-star grand prix classes in St. Moritz and Geneva, Switzerland, in 2016, among other top finishes at a young age. He will next contest Saturday night’s $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix CSI 5*.
See full results of the $130,000 Ruby Et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 7.
