“He called me one day and said he had the horse for me,” said Casas who has shown minimally at the international level throughout the last year. “I was looking for a horse to bring me back into the FEI sport. I didn’t even try him—just bought him.”

Farrington spotted the mount while watching it compete with success in Florida under the direction of U.S. team gold medalist Will Simpson. The horse’s last outing before coming under the ownership of Casas’ Always Faithful Equine was a three-star grand prix win in Ocala.

“This was my third jump-off with him,” said Casas, 24. “It was the first time I felt like I could go for it; he’s such a competitive horse and naturally fast. He wants it almost as much as I do, if not more, and he was right there with me every step of the way.”

Friday’s win came over a testing track designed by Anderson Lima (BRA) that only produced five clear rounds. Keminko N’s foot speed edged out Spain’s Francisco Goyoaga Mollet riding Stakato Cornet (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato) for owner Ashland Farms by less than three-tenths of a second. Casas broke the timers in 35.43 seconds to Goyoaga’s 35.70 seconds. Jonathan Corrigan (IRL) rounded out the top three riding Darius de Kerglenn (Mylord Carthago x Diamant de Semilly), owned by Twin Oaks Ventures, in 37.02 seconds. 

Of their hair-splitting jump-off, Casas said, “He turns fast and is really careful at the jump. I can dare him, let go at the base and put my leg on so I’m already continuing on the backside. Even if I put him in a spot that isn’t perfect, he’ll go the extra yard.”

Casas, who like Farrington hails from Chicago, has been working within the KPF program for 12 years and couldn’t help but share the influence he has had on her riding—and her life.

“He’s my mentor in and out of the sport,” she said. “He’s been really hard on me, but in the best ways; he pushes me to be my best and he expects nothing but greatness from me. I try to always rise to the occasion.”