On Saturday, Kent Farrington lived by his own words: "Copy no one and be the best version of yourself!" The American rider won the 1.60m World Cup in Thermal after a jump-off with seven competitors. Jos Verlooy followed in second place.
Riding Toulayna(formerly Toulayna van het Bloesemhof Z, breeder: Jasper Doucé), Farrington was over three seconds faster than former Belgian champion Jos Verlooy. Verlooy secured second place aboard the 15-year-old FTS Killossery Konfusion (SIEC Livello, breeder: F&L Glynn). These were the only two combinations to complete the jump-off without faults.
"If you know your horse well, it doesn’t matter if you start first, in the middle, or last in the jump-off. Sometimes going first can be a real advantage—as long as you stick to your plan! Luckily, my plan worked well today," said Farrington. "Toulayna is naturally a fast horse! In our sport, you need a naturally quick horse. It allows me to really focus on my job in the jump-off!"
Jos Verlooy also delivered a clear round: "I knew Farrington would be tough to beat. My only focus was figuring out what I needed to do to finish first or second. My horse jumped fantastic, so I stuck to my plan. I'm really happy with my second place!"
Friday's qualifier winner finished in third place. McKayla Langmeier, riding the 13-year-old BWP mare, Mimosa vd Rollebeek (Castelino van de Helle), completed the podium, followed by Laura Kraut and Bisquetta (Bisquet Balou vd Mispelaere) in fourth. David O’Brien took fifth place aboard the 13-year-old El Balou OLD (Eldorado vd Zeshoek).
