THE three-star ESP Pre-Charity at Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre in Wellington, Florida, reached its pinnacle on Sunday morning when home rider Kent Farrington gallop to victory in the $137,000 Noltrex Vet Grand Prix aboard Kaprice.
From 45 starters, 16 made it through to the 1.50m jump-off and Farrington posted the fastest time of 39.28 seconds to win the top prize of $45,200, ahead of compatriot Brian Moggre and MTM Vivre le Reve who were just fractions slower in 39.79. Leslie Howard completed the podium aboard Donna Speciale (0/0 39.98).
Eleven of the 16 were clear against the clock. Ireland’s Captain Brian Cournane made it through to the second round but faulted once with the Irish Sport Horse mare Penelope Cruz (Ustinov x Peter Pan 65) to finish 14th.
“I have an exceptionally fast horse,” reflected Farrington on his winning mount, the exceptionally well-bred 10-year-old mare Kaprice, who comes from a long line of 1.60m performers, including her dam , Electra van’t Roosakker.
“If you look at her on the ground she almost looks like a racehorse. She is really light, really lean, and her footspeed across the ground is incredible. She is an unbelievably careful horse, maybe the most careful horse I have ever ridden. She does not want to touch jumps, so that’s a big advantage. She is stepping up to be a Grand Prix horse.”
Irish placed
Ireland’s Christian Coyle finished fourth in the $25,000 JTWG, Inc. National Grand Prix later in the day. Eleven of the starting 30 progressed to the jump-off, where victory went to Mexico’s Santiago Lambre with Mick Jagger. The pair broke the beam in 37.37 seconds to earn $7,500, ahead of teammate Eugenio Garza Perez with Caracas (0/0 37.87). USA’s Jessica Springsteen (RMF Tinkerbell) completed the podium, ahead of Coyle who slotted into fourth with the 15-year-old mare Butterfly Tibri Z, owned by Lindsay Douglass. Galway’s Andrew Bourns was fifth aboard the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse Sea Topblue (Chacco-Blue x Lux Z), bred by James and John Meade.
Bourns placed second in Friday’s 1.40m at the venue with the eight-year-old Menko vd Wellington, while Cournane slotted into sixth with Castlefield Dream. Victory went to Egypt’s Nayel Nassar.