Kent Farrington and Gazelle. PC: RB Presse / J. Rodriguez
The well-oiled machine continues his winning ways! World #1 Kent Farrington certainly added to his FEI points this weekend in Valence, France when he sped to victory twice, taking the 1.60m CSI 5* Grand Prix highlight class of the weekend aboard the one and only Gazelle, as well as the 1.45m CSI 5* earlier in the afternoon on darling up and comer, Baltic Star.
Kent has had the ride on the stunning eight-year-old gray (Fun Fact: bred in Lithuania! Bacardi x Modera Sunny) since earlier this spring; they made their FEI debut at the Winter Equestrian Festival where they had a top ten finish in their first class together. The two found their first victory together in June at Spruce Meadows, and today’s win will make the second notch in their winning scorecard.
In the very next class, Kent held his focus and momentum for his ride with Gazelle, going double clear in the opening round and then coming back with a scorching jump-off to edge Shane Breen (IRL) and Laith by more than a second, finishing on a 35.32 to Shane’s 36.40.
(The video quality isn’t spectacular, but it exists!)
Victoire du numero 1 mondial : Kent Farrington . Barrage CSI 5* de Valence ! – avec Alix Petit Davy
Posted by Cyril Benet on Sunday, August 20, 2017
It was generally a good day for the North American contingent in France, as Eric Lamaze took the yellow ribbon behind Shane aboard Coco Bongo, and Beezie Madden and Breitling LS had the time to come in second behind Ken had they not pulled a rail, ultimately making them the fastest of the four-faulters in the jump-off.
Eric Lamaze and Coco Bongo. PC: RB Presse / J. Rodriguez
Reed Kessler and Cos I Can were just outside the money in the final class with a quick time and one rail in the first round. She also had a top ten horse in the 1.45m class on Sunday, riding Tradition de la Roque to an eighth place finish with a tidy double clear.
The action continues for one more week in Valence, with a three-star show starting Thursday. Stay tuned to JN for all the important updates!
More irresistible images from Kent’s win with Gazelle:
PC: RB Presse / J. Rodriguez
PC: RB Presse / J. Rodriguez