World no. 2 Kent Farrington (USA) rode Descartes SR (Carmelo x Wida Jana) to break the 9-year-old’s five-star maiden in the $340,000 CSI5* Grand Prix, presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, to conclude leg 8 of Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) at the Kentucky International, held alongside the iconic Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, Ky.
An impressive 13 of the world’s top 20 took to Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) course under the lights of the Rolex Stadium at Kentucky Horse Park. Seven advanced to the tie-breaking jump-off, which proved to be a battle between Farrington and the clock. As the lead-off rider with his new mount – a Mexican-bred gelding – Farrington set the pace at 39.92 seconds.
“I’m really excited about this horse,” said Farrington of his mount’s first five-star Grand Prix and eventual win. “He has an incredible stride. He covers ground like a racehorse and still has the power to give a lofty jump at the final fence, which is a rare combination of attributes in a horse. I had a lot of trust in him to the last fence.”
Six-time U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward was the closest challenger for the top spot on the podium riding High Star Hero (Zazu x Darco), a 13-year-old gelding owned by Michael Smith. They stopped the clock at 40.42 seconds to finish the runner-up.
“I'm always a little disappointed to lose, but to lose to someone I consider the best in the world right now in the sport, I guess there's some salvation in that,” said Ward, a member of the Roadrunners who now sits third in the MLSJ individual standings.
Irish Olympian and current world no. 7 Shane Sweetnam jumped into the top three with his 2024 Olympic mount James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising), a 13-year-old gelding owned together with Gizmo Partners.
Continuing to rave about his winning mount and their promising future together, Farrington said, “He has been an exceptional talent since I started with him. I got him from the Pasquels in Mexico last year. I thought someone would catch me tonight, so I was lucky to get out of there with the win.”
Saturday night’s victory brought Farrington within eight points of Daniel Bluman’s (ISR) lead in the overall individual standings for MLSJ Season 5. “It’s never over until it’s over,” said Farrington. “I’m glad we are close at the end, and we will see how it shakes out.”
The League will now head to Monterrey, Mexico, for the Finals, April 29 - May 2, to conclude Season 5 with double points up for grabs in both MLSJ team and individual competitions.
