World No. 10 Kent Farrington claimed the $340,000 CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Traverse City (Michigan) on Sunday to kick off the 2024-2025 FEI North American League season and take the top qualifying points towards the 2025 Longines FEI World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland. 

Rebounding from a trip to the Paris Olympic Games that was cut short by allergy issues for Greya, Farrington and his 10-year-old Oldenburg mare (Colestus—Contessa 128, Contender) were the first to jump clean among 35 pairs to tackle Alan Wade’s first round course. They then returned as the first of seven pairs in the jump-off to set the pace, clearing the final timers in 37.19 seconds and daring the remainder of the field to catch them. 

“I went first, and I thought the class would be fast, but I didn’t think that it would be wild,” Farrington said. “I thought I had done a pretty aggressive round and that someone would have to try hard to catch it. It got a little closer [to the final fence] than I would have liked, but we had luck on our side today.”

For Farrington, having a class of this caliber at the start of the fall schedule in the United States is a step in the right direction for the sport in his home country. 

“I think that this is great for American show jumping,” he said. “You’re starting to see some new faces like Sam [Hutton] and Abdel [Saïd] and this whole team coming from Europe, and I think that says a lot about the venues and the prize money that we have. The support that we’re getting from the industry and sponsors is great for our sport and great for North America.”

Farrington began to eye the NAL opener as a target following his return from the Paris Olympic Games, where he withdrew Greya after she developed a cough. 

“First I had to get her feeling better. She had a bad cough that made us unable to compete,” he said. “I had to give her 10 days of no riding, let her get some antibiotics and get her back to America. From there, we said, ‘Let’s just see how she goes, at her own pace.’ I let her feel good with some tiny rounds last week, and then we built up this week. Today she felt great, and I thought she performed great. I’m exciting to get going.”

Farrington has always thought highly of Greya, first discovering the mare as a 5-year-old in Europe. He elected to keep her overseas for a year before importing her and beginning to work with the mare in his stable. From there, it’s been a careful, calculated and exciting development process.

“She’s a sensational horse,” he said. “She was always extremely, extremely careful. She had a bit of a wild personality, but she’s always been an exceptional athlete and a special horse. I’m very proud of what she’s developed into. We’re still at the very start of her career. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

Watch their winning jump-off, courtesy of FEI.tv:

Great Britain’s Samuel Hutton added some international flair to the podium as he raced to the runner-up position riding Melusina Bvl Z. He finished less than two-tenths of a second behind Farrington, clocking in at 37.36 seconds. 

“I was lucky enough to have a late draw, so I saw Kent go,” said Hutton. “I gave it my all. This is her first five-star clear, actually. I’m really happy with her. It’s been a very competitive week; nothing is given away here.”

Another exhilarating finish came from Alise Oken, who galloped into third on High Hopes Farm’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Gelvera. The pair appeared to be up on Farrington coming to the end fo the course, but lost time going wide in a turn to the final two fences to finish in 38.44 seconds.

“I actually thought I had Kent’s time up until the liverpool, but I definitely lost time back to the last line because our right turns aren’t that great,” she said. “She jumped fantastic though, so I’m happy with the result. 

The qualifier was not only the first of seven in the North American League season, but also the first held at Traverse City Horse Shows, marking it a momentous occasion for the venue. 

“It means everything for us to host this event,” stated Traverse City Horse Shows event director Matthew Morrissey. “I want to thank the FEI for placing their trust in us and hosting this event. We’ve been here for 10 years at this venue, continually making improvements, improving our team, and I think we put on a great event today.”

Farrington took both Greya and another mare, Toulayna, to the FEI World Cup Finals in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) this April and hopes to go again next year. With his Traverse City win, he now has an early lead in the North American League standings with 20 points. Oken sits second with 17 points, followed by Daniel Bluman of Israel with 15 points. 

“We went to World Cup Finals last year, and it went great. It was a big step up for [Greya],” Farrington said. “I would like to do it [again] with two horses, like I did last time. I would say [Basel] is definitely in my sights. Hopefully my horses are in good form when that time comes around.”

See complete results here.