New York, N.Y. – Sept. 22, 2017 – While winter boasts ice skating at Wollman Rink, the first day of fall saw show jumping take center stage once again with the $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3* and the $25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix at the fourth annual Rolex Central Park Horse Show. Twenty-seven riders challenged Rio Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge’s 1.50m track over 12 obstacles, but it was world number one Kent Farrington (USA) and Creedance who flew to the fastest time in the jump-off. To top it all off, before the class began Farrington stated he would donate any earnings to the Direct Relief fund for hurricane victims, which just so happened to be the biggest share of $71,000.
Nine horses jumped clear in the first round to return for the jump-off, with four riders jumping double-clear and representing the USA in front of a sold-out stadium.
Kristen Vanderveen (USA) and the 12-year-old stallion Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili were the first pair to deliver a fault-free second round, finishing in third place after also earning third in Thursday night’s U.S. Open $40,000 FEI CSX Speed Class. They ran to a quick time of 37.70 seconds, setting the pace to beat for the rest of the pack.
Hardin Towell (USA) and Evergate Stables LLC’s Lucifer V knew they had nothing to lose against Vanderveen’s speedy time and jumped ahead a fraction faster in 37.58 seconds to take over the lead. Towell was at the top of his game after claiming Thursday night’s victory in the U.S. Open $40,000 FEI CSX Speed Class. Finishing in a close second behind Farrington, Towell earned the title of the U.S. Open Leading Rider with Thursday and Friday’s combined finishes.
Farrington entered the ring to prove his world number one status aboard the 10-year-old gelding, making up time with his tight turns at the beginning of the course to take the lead in 37.46 seconds. Farrington and Creedance have had a successful year together winning a CSI5* grand prix at the Global Champions Tour in Miami and at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Kent Farrington – $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3* winner
On his round:
“This is a very special venue. It’s very impressive for the horses warming up in the back of the park and walking up here. Some of them are a bit starstruck. Luckily we have a very good course designer and he built a fair course for us and that’s why you saw a fair amount clear. It was a competition of speed and we had some very competitive riders in there. I’m happy to get out of here with a win.”
On donating his earnings:
“I’m a resident of Florida. A lot of us actually have houses and stables there. My mom lives there and she actually relocated to New York to stay with my sister because of the hurricane. We were lucky. We dodged a bullet and it went to the other side of the state. It was a reality check but we were lucky to get away without much damage. A lot of people weren’t this fortunate. I felt like it was the right thing to do. I feel very lucky to be living my dreams — traveling the world and competing for big money. This event is all about showcasing our sport and I thought it was a great opportunity to do something for people that could use it.”
On Creedance:
“I’ve had this horse since he was 7 years old. He’s always been really high energy and very competitive. He’s only 10 years old and already he’s got a lot of victories under his belt. I think he still has a big future in the sport. I think his strength is an indoor type venue which is sort of what this is. The ring is quite small for our sport and that really plays to his strengths. He can turn very fast and he’s naturally quick across the ground so it’s a huge advantage in an arena like this.”
On his plan for the jump-off:
“I watch Hardin [Towell] ride a lot because he’s in Europe competing over there with the best riders in the world and he’s very competitive and very fast. I actually didn’t see him go tonight but they told me he had a very quick round so with this particular horse I tried to just have my own plan because he’s very fast and I have to play to his strengths. I tried to make it up early in the class and then slow him down a little bit to the last fence because sometimes he can get running too fast and knock it down. My strategy today was to win it early then be able to ease off at the end.”
Hardin Towell – $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3*, second place
On Lucifer V and his jump-off plan:
“He felt great. He had a great first round. I did the opposite of Kent. My horse’s strength is long gallops. At the beginning of the class last year, I gave it away because I tried to be too quick. I told myself I’d take a little bit more time and then be quick to the last couple. I knew it would be close because I know [Kent’s] horse quite well and I knew he’d take it easy at the last and not be quite as quick. We both had our plan, we know our horses and we stuck to it. Tonight was his night.”
On Lucifer V:
“Lucifer always tries really hard. He felt very comfortable and he had a lot of confidence. My horse is just a very naturally competitive horse. It really doesn’t seem to phase him so that helped me make my plan.The horse the older he’s gotten I feel like the better he’s gotten.”
Kristen Vanderveen – $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3*, third place
On her jump-off round:
“I also had a quick round yesterday. Sometimes it’s hard for the horses to do that quick round and then come back. My plan in the jump-off was to be a little bit conservative and not rush him too much as I did yesterday. Today I tried to take a little bit of a breath but I also paid the penalty for it a little bit.”
On Bull Run´s Faustino De Tili:
“I was here with the same horse last year. We were much more comfortable this year. Even the walk to the ring is a little bit shocking for the rider as well as the horse. I trusted him a lot more and I think that helped a lot.”
Mark Bellissimo – IEG, CEO
On the Central Park Horse Show:
“What a great competition tonight. Kent — to give your money away to charity is just a great testament to your character and his contribution to the sport. This event has been dear to us. They’ve taken a very difficult venue and been able to put something together that is very special. This was an attempt to bring back the magic of the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. I don’t think it has ever been matched so this is an attempt to create something in the world’s largest media market. I don’t think there’s any event that gets that much energy and action. The energy of the show is really interesting. It’s building some momentum and I think the more we can get sponsored into the sport, the more we can make the sport successful long term for the athletes. Tonight was one of my favorite nights that we’ve had here in terms of weather, level of competition and atmosphere of the show.”
Murray Kessler – US Equestrian, President
On Kent’s charity donation:
“Kent — what compassion and generosity. We’ve done nothing at the US Equestrian federation for the last week but deal with hardship on the islands. First in Houston, then in Florida — across all of the various islands. The entire equestrian and US Equestrian membership has poured their hearts out trying to help, but this was a great act of compassion and generosity. That’s unbelievable.”
On the Central Park Horse Show:
“They keep pushing the envelope and growing the sport. He’s driven to grow the sport and this is a testament to that. Our vision and mission is to bring the joy of horse sports to as many people as possible and how can you do better than that than being in the heart of Manhattan.”
RESULTS
$216,000 U.S. Open FEI 3* Grand Prix
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Creedance / Kent Farrington / USA / Kent Farrington & R.C.G. Farm / 0 / 0 / 37.46
2. Lucifer V / Jack Towell / USA / Evergate Stables LLC / 0 / 0 / 37.58
3. Bull Run´s Faustino De Tili / Kristen Vanderveen / USA / Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC / 0 / 0 / 37.70
4. Hester / Lucy Deslauriers / USA / Lisa Deslauriers / 0 / 0 / 38.08
5. Atlantis / Samuel Parot / CHI / Samuel Parot / 0 / 4 / 40.14
6. Indra Van De Oude Heihoef / Shane Sweetnam / IRL / The Blue Buckle Group / 0 / 4 / 43.31
7. Reus De La Nutria / Emanuel Andrade / VEN / Emanuel Andrade / 0 / 8 / 39.96
8. Navalo De Poheton / Andrew Kocher / USA / Mko Equestrian Llc / 0 / 8 / 41.35
9. Bacara D´archonfosse / Daniel Bluman / ISR / Daniel Bluman, Kim Douglas & Alexa Schwitzer / 0 / 8 / 41.65
10. Clear Water / Marilyn Little / USA / Karen O´Connor / 1 / 76.77
11. Skara Glen´s Machu Picchu / Paul O´Shea / Irl / Skara Glen Stables, Whipstick Farm, P. Hurter, P. Agnew / 4 / 72.51
12. Luibanta Bh / Amanda Derbyshire / GBR / Gochman Sport Horse Llc / 4 / 72.65
Jennifer Gates Claims $25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix
The evening started and the sun set as13 riders brought forth their best efforts to New York City to challenge a competitive field in the $25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix, where Jennifer Gates (USA) claimed the win aboard Copernicus Stables LLC’s Alex.
Second in the ring, Sydney Shulman (USA) and Hannah Patten’s Curby Du Seigneur were the first duo to deliver a clear round. Shulman had recent success with the 9-year-old gelding last weekend at the American Gold Cup and the Kentucky Summer Horse Show series. She put in a clear and speedy second round in a time of 28.08 seconds but was not quite quick enough to catch Gates.
Ireland’s Jordan Coyle emerged towards the end of the order, just before Gates, and was the one to give the crowded stands the jump-off they were hoping for. Returning right in the middle of the order for the jump-off, Coyle rode Andrew Kocher’s Chuckles and delivered the fastest round in 26.98 seconds, but one unfortunate rail kept them from the top and they finished with 4 faults for third place.
The final ride in the jump-off, Gates and the 13-year-old gelding, delivered a clear round in a time of 27.14 seconds to beat out Shulman and take home top honors. In 2015, Gates won the $5,000 Junior/Amateur 1.20m Speed Class at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show.
Gates also rode in the $216,000 U.S. Open Grand Prix CSI3* later in the evening aboard Luftikus S, where she placed 13th after an unfortunate rail.
Saturday will highlight the hunters and eventers with the U.S. Open $50,000 Duchossois Cup and the U.S. Open $50,000 Arena Eventing, presented by the Fite Group Luxury Homes with the day’s events beginning at 1:30 p.m.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Jennifer Gates – $25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix winner
On Alex:
“I thought the first round was very well done for the amount of people in the class. I was really happy with it. My horse helped me out a little bit in the first round so I was ready to come back into the jump-off. I had to try and go fast. Obviously Syd was very fast and Jordan was also very fast, but unfortunately he had a rail so I was trying to go as fast as I could and he performed really well for me tonight. I got him in July from Audrey Coulter of Copernicus Stables. I was very lucky to get the ride on him. She was wonderful to share him with me. I’ve done four shows on him so far and he’s just been the simplest horse I’ve ever had to ride. He goes right in the ring, knows his job and is such a sweetheart in the barn. Hopefully we grow the partnership and continue to use it in some more speed classes and learn how to be a bit faster because that’s something I’m working on.”
On her trainer, Hardin Towell’s, advice:
“He told me to give it a shot. For a long time I’ve been trying to go clear in bigger classes then going really slow in the jump-off so he said, ‘We got this horse for you to learn how to go fast. He’s incredibly fast and forgiving so just try and do it.’ He was great for me today; I was really lucky.”
On the Central Park Horse Show:
“New York is just incredible. To think about having a show in the middle of such an amazing city — nobody else has been able to pull it off so it’s absolutely a dream come true. You can go to dinner and do other things in the city then come show at night. I almost felt like I wasn’t at a horse show this week, which is incredible. I love horse shows, but I also love doing other things so it’s great to bring the sport to a place where more people who aren’t exposed to it get to see it.I think that’s a great thing about the show. Doing well for all of us is just icing on the cake.”
Sydney Shulman – $25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix, second place
On Curby du Seigneur:
“Curby actually belongs to a student of mine who showed him this winter and spring in the medium and high amateurs so it’s a relatively new ride for me. I almost know him more from training him and getting him ready for her than showing him myself. He was fantastic. I’ve seen him do some fantastic things with [Hannah Patten]. I was feeling brave a little bit to the double and I think Jen beat me to number five — she caught a really good one there. I thought I did as much as I could. I wouldn’t change my ride very much. He’s new and young. I can’t say good enough things about that horse. I’m really lucky that I have the ride on him for now.”
RESULTS
$25,000 U.S. Open Hollow Creek Farm U25 Grand Prix
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Alex / Jennifer Gates / USA / Copernicus Stables / 0 / 0 / 27.14
2. Curby Du Seigneur / Sydney Shulman / USA / Hannah Patten / 0 / 0 / 28.08
3. Chuckles / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Andrew Kocher / 0 / 4 / 26.98
4. Avon / Mattias Tromp / USA / Swede Ventures LLC / 4 / 66.60
5. Chuck Berry 8 / Abigail Mcardle / USA / Plain Bay Sales / 4 / 66.76
6. Hamlet / Lucy Deslauriers / USA / Lisa Deslauriers / 4 / 67.93
7. Huckleberry / Coco Fath / USA / Coco Fath & Hillside Farm LLC / 5 / 69.81
8. Boy Iv / Emanuel Andrade / VEN / Emanuel Andrade / 8 / 64.56
9. Fein Umbra / Stephen Moore / IRL / Teddy Vlock / 8 / 72.92
10. Casper / Ailish Cunniffe / USA / Whipstick Farm Ltd / 9 / 73.87
11. Donnalaris / Oliver Mccarthy / IRL / Virginia T Bartholomay / 10 / 70.34
12. Don´s Diamant / Morgane Dassio / SUI / Ilan Ferder & Tal Milstein / 23 / 87.32