Source:  News Release/Kendall Bierer and Kenneth Kraus for PMG, Inc.

Farrington Guides Waomi to Opening Day $45,000 Speed Stake Win at
National Horse Show

Lexington, KY -  Kent Farrington, one of the most successful riders on tour throughout the 2014 show season, continued his winning ways on Thursday afternoon as the Open and International Jumpers got underway at the 131st National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

Riding the Amalaya Investments' Waomi, Farrington topped a large starting field of 51 in a one round speed class, racing home in 53 seconds flat to nail down the victory over a pair of Belgian riders, Nicola Philppaerts and Francois Mathy. Philippaerts, riding J'Espere Dream, clocked in just a whisper behind Farrington at 53.06 seconds. Meanwhile, Mathy piloted Ornellaia to a time of 54.56 seconds for today's third place finish. 

Kent Farrington and Waomi

Veteran Course Designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, making his National Horse Show debut, created a 14 jump track with 12 numbered fences that saw 22 of the 51 starters go clean. Jorge was thrilled to be in Lexington and working at such an important and historic event. "One of the things I love most about our sport is the tradition, and I don't think you get more traditional than at the National Horse Show," he said. "I feel very honored to be part of it."

Jorge, who builds his grand prix course first and then works backwards towards opening day, talked about that process. "It is nice that for the main division we have a speed class, then we have a big jump-off class and then we have the grand prix. I am sure we are going to have a very strong group of riders. I think the first class will be a nice speed competition, but the technical part will be important. The speed class is of course not as hard as the jump-off class, but I am anticipating a good group, so it will not be all about speed. It's a table A speed class, so there is some riding and jumping involved as well," he explained.

Watch Kent Farrington and Waomi's winning round!

Kent Farrington, who arrived in Lexington fresh off a major international win in the Grand Prix of Barcelona at the FEI Nations Cup Finals and the $40,000 Big Jump at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, talked about today's victory. "Waomi is naturally a fast horse, she anticipates the turns and it's easy to leave strides out going around the turns," he said. "I started off really aggressive leaving out a stride in the first line and that is probably where we scored the win."

He then spoke of his excellent summer of success. "It's really been a team effort. I have some great owners behind me, some really nice horses and a really great staff around me. It really comes down to putting yourself with the right people and getting the right horses underneath you," he smiled. 

Watch an interview with Kent Farrington.

"The National Horse Show has always been a staple of the famous shows in the United States, so it's really exciting that they are making a big effort to make it special again," he continued. "I think having it at the Horse Park makes it one of the best indoors we have. The organizers have gone to great lengths to make it feel special."

Farrington continued the string of wins on horses borrowed from his student Meagan Nusz. In addition to the win on Naomi today, Farrington rode Nusz' Dynamo to victory in the Trump Grand Prix in Florida two years ago. "That's easy," he laughed. "You get your students nice horses and then it's easy to borrow them every now and again for a win."

Following the two riders from Belgium, who finished second and third, Beezie Madden of the United States took home fourth place honors with her always reliable partner Cortes C, a horse who always seems ready for whatever the task at hand might be. Today, forced to go early in the ninth spot in the order, their blazing trip of 55.16 seconds looked unbeatable at the time. As it turned out, some 43 horses later, they wound up just over two seconds too slow.

Lexington based Reed Kessler finished fifth with her own Ligist. They finished 6/10ths behind Madden in 55.77 seconds. Olivier Philippaerts, the other half of the Belgian brotherhood, took home sixth place honors with Carlito C in 55.93 seconds.

Rounding out the top eight were Shane Sweetnam and Kama Godek. Sweetnam piloted the Spy Coast Farm entry of Eregast Van't Kiezelhof to seventh and Godek was eighth on Air Force One. 

The Open Jumpers continue tomorrow with the $75,000 International Open Jumpers - Time First Jump-off, the featured event at 9 p.m.

Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, presented by the Nusz Family

Thirty-one horse and rider combinations tackled the tricky Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers course tonight, but it was Giavanna Rinaldi who came out on top of the speed class. The 14-year-old made a speedy National Horse Show debut with her own G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise, tripping the timers in 49.351 seconds. It was a nostalgic win for the young rider, who traversed pony jumper courses in the same Alltech Arena only a couple of years prior. 

Giavanna Rinaldi and G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise

It seemed as though Wesley Newlands had the win in her grasp when she laid down a smooth course in 51.848 seconds with Wieminka B, owned by Weslands Farm. As only the ninth rider on course, she set a pace that her competitors would have a difficult time trying to catch. It wasn't until Meredith Darst tackled the track 13 rounds later that Newlands would lose her grasp on the lead.

Local Kentucky rider Darst broke the beam in 50.311 seconds with Zenith Dance, owned by Page Tredennick. Rinaldi entered the ring only four horses later, making Darst's lead a short one as she sliced the seconds. Rinaldi was the only rider to break the barrier of 50 seconds, stopping the clock in 49.351 seconds and proving uncatchable. She made up time to the skinny during the latter part of the course, and her inside turn made all the difference.

Watch Giavanna Rinaldi and GPS Brilliant Disguise's winning round.

"I made a few mistakes around a couple of the turns," Rinaldi said of her round. "I knew I was a little bit slower, but I had to make up the rest of the time everywhere else. It was a really fun course, and it works well for him because he goes right really well and there were some good turns I was excited about. I think my plan worked out well, even if it was a little spontaneous." 

Rinaldi continued, "The Alltech Arena is a fun ring to show in. I showed in the pony jumpers here when I was younger, and I have to admit that at the time I was a little star struck. It is a big ring, but returning now for my first time at the National Horse Show, it has been really fun to ride in."

Darst finished in the second place position, while Newlands rounded out the top three. The Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, presented by the Nusz Family, is only one of three classes offered for the Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers during the 131st National Horse Show. The division will continue tomorrow night with the Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers and will culminate on Friday with the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship.

Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $10,000 Under 25 Championship - First Round 

Young riders shined tonight at the National Horse Show as 29 horse and rider combinations put their best foot forward over the first of three $10,000 Under 25 Championship classes. Sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farm, the class allows the rare opportunity for riders ages 16 to 25 to compete in the high pressure World Cup format. Riders from across the nation have worked to qualify for the championship, which culminates at the prestigious National Horse Show.

Wilton Porter and Patriot

The opening course called for speed as riders attempted to shave seconds from their time. The penalties earned during the course will convert into points, and as of this evening, Wilton Porter leads the ranks with 30 points to his name after finishing at the top of the leader board in 59.240 seconds.

"It's great that they have this new U-25 division," Porter noted. "My brother [Lucas] and I have the main target of jumpers, and right now we are kind of in that age range for young riders. My mom thought it would be great if there would be an opportunity for young riders to compete against each other at this horse show, and that's why she made this possible as a sponsor. I enjoy it, and it is especially special that I won this class and my mom is sponsoring it."

Watch Wilton Porter and Patriot's winning round.

Porter raced through the course and finished as the only rider to break the beam in under 60 seconds. The course suited his mount Patriot's large stride, and they used the lines to their advantage as they consistently opted to leave out a stride down the lines. The two have had a long partnership, but in this past year, his brother took the ride on the grey gelding. 

"I've had Patriot for a really long time. We got him as an 8-year-old," Porter explained. "This past year, my brother has been riding him a lot and doing really well. I was just a little bit short on horses for this competition so he loaned him back to me. After this one, I don't know that he will be getting him back."

Porter concluded, "I really like the format of the championship - I think it is great and it gives us good experience for possible future World Cup competitions. We planned to try and win. Sometimes we go fast and not necessarily to win, but today we were planning on winning."

Watch an interview with Wilton Porter

Michael Hughes and Macarthur, owned by Christina Fried, rode to the second place in 60.170 seconds, while Kaitlin Campbell and her own Rocky W finished third in 60.450 seconds. 

The race to the championship will continue tomorrow evening with the second of the $15,000 Under 25 Championship, and the series will culminate Saturday night prior to the Canadian Pacific $250,000 Grand Prix.

For more information on the National Horse Show, 131st edition, please visit www.nhs.org. 

RESULTS: 

 

$45,000 OPEN JPR WELCOME SPEED

Order Entry # Horse Name Rider Name JF1 TF1 AF1 Time 1

1 378 WAOMI KENT FARRINGTON 0 0 0 53.000

2 302 J'ESPERE DREAM NICOLA PHILIPPAERTS 0 0 0 53.060

3 306 ORNELLAIA FRANCOIS MATHY 0 0 0 54.560

4 346 CORTES 'C' BEEZIE MADDEN 0 0 0 55.160

5 263 LIGIST REED KESSLER 0 0 0 55.770

6 303 CARLITO C OLIVIER PHILIPPAERTS 0 0 0 55.930

7 369 EREGAST VAN'T KIEZELHOF SHANE SWEETNAM 0 0 0 57.120

8 265 AIR FORCE ONE KAMA GODEK 0 0 0 57.430

9 289 ALSVID RICHIE MOLONEY 0 0 0 57.580

10 226 KISMET 50 CANDICE KING 0 0 0 58.030

$10,000 U-25 CHAMPIONSHIP -1st ROUND 

Order Entry # Horse Name Rider Name JF1 TF1 AF1 Time 1

1 805 PATRIOT WILTON PORTER 0 0 0 59.240

2 821 MACARTHUR MICHAEL HUGHES 0 0 0 60.170

3 418 ROCKY W KAITLIN CAMPBELL 0 0 0 60.450

4 713 CHANEL B 2 VICTORIA COLVIN 0 0 0 60.510

5 591 SANDOR DE LA POMME CATHERINE TYREE 0 0 0 60.700

6 641 GATSBY MAGGIE MCALARY 0 0 0 60.770

7 777 TWISTER SHAWN CASADY 0 0 0 62.000

8 628 WOODSTOCK O KALVIN DOBBS 0 0 0 62.110

9 774 WHY NOT SOPHIE SIMPSON 0 0 0 62.490

10 449 PUNCHY DORCEL BRITTNI RAFLOWITZ 0 0 0 62.600

$5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers

Order Entry # Horse Name Rider Name JF1 TF1 AF1 Time 1 

1 614 G.P.S. BRILLIANT DISGUISE GIAVANNA RINALDI 0 0 0 49.351

2 438 ZENITH DANCE MEREDITH DARST 0 0 0 50.311

3 546 WIEMINKA B WESLEY NEWLANDS 0 0 0 51.848

4 589 WETTER CATHERINE TYREE 0 0 0 52.116

5 508 CHAMONIX H KELLI CRUCIOTTI 0 0 0 52.410

6 590 DON'T GO CATHERINE TYREE 0 0 0 52.521

7 456 BIGSHOT CALLIE SMITH 0 0 0 52.902

8 534 LUXINA MICHAEL HUGHES 0 0 0 53.254

9 545 LAPACCO WESLEY NEWLANDS 0 0 0 53.421

10 509 ZIDANTE KELLI CRUCIOTTI 0 0 0 53.688

About the National Horse Show

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America's oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association's primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.

With $755,000 in prize money offered, this year's National Horse Show offers an International Open Jumpers with $460,000 in prize money, while the top rated hunter sections have a total purse of $195,000. Meanwhile, $100,000 in total is offered to the Amateur-Owner and U 25 Jumper sections.

For the fourth consecutive year, The National Horse Show received a top ranking from NARG, the North American Riders Group and was named the Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the Year in four back-to-back years.

For more information go to:  www.nhs.org 

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