Kent Farrington and Greya Go for Gold in the $50,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic National Grand Prix
The $50,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic National Grand Prix took place under the lights in the International Arena on Saturday, January 21, 2023, at Wellington International in Wellington, FL, during the third week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Kent Farrington (USA) piloted Greya, owned by Kent Farrington LLC, to top honors in the competitive class.
Farrington and Greya went 17th in the starting order of 45 riders and were the first pair to produce a fault-free round over the technical course designed by Catsy Cruz (MEX). Six more horse-and-rider combinations produced clear rounds to join Farrington in the jump-off including Ben Maher (GBR), Jos Verlooy (BEL), Sam Walker (CAN), Bertram Allen (IRL), Michael Murphy (USA), and Mimi Gochman (USA).
Photo by Jump Media
“It was Greya’s first time jumping under the lights,” said Farrington of the nine-year-old Oldenburg mare (Colestus x Contender). “My plan was to just work out of her normal gallop, which is already pretty quick. Luckily, it worked out tonight.”
Farrington and Greya were the first pair to return for the jump-off and set the pace with a quick time of 37.756 seconds. Although the remaining competitors tried to beat the duo’s time, Farrington and Greya proved to be uncatchable.
“I thought she was incredible,” said Farrington of his mount. “I think it is a very special horse. I thought she jumped great tonight. I think she has a promising future so I’m looking forward to that.
Photo by Jump Media
“She is a very opinionated mare,” continued Farrington. “She has her own ideas, and those types are sort of my favorite horses. I think in the end when you can train the horse to work with you and use all of their energy to go in the right direction they can be great.”
Maher and Enjeu de Grisien, a nine-year-old Selle Français gelding owned by Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright, claimed second-place honors with a time of 38.835 seconds. Verlooy and Nixon Van’t Meulenhof, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion owned by Eurohorse BVBA, rounded out the podium after stopping the timers at 39.767 seconds.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is the Official Veterinarian of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Week 2 of the 13-week series featured competition sponsored by Palm Beach Equine Clinic. View results, live stream replays, and more at WellingtonInternational.com.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is the Official Veterinarian of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Week 2 of the 13-week series featured competition sponsored by Palm Beach Equine Clinic. View results, live stream replays, and more at WellingtonInternational.com.