FORT WORTH, Texas--Kent Farrington, riding Toulayna and Greya, led from start to finish to win the World Cup Final on Sunday, April 12, and Katie Dinan on Out of the Blue SCF finished third.

Kent Farrington on Greya (Photo by Sarah Miller for MacMillan Photography)Farrington finished on four faults to win his first World Cup Final, with Daniel Deusser of Germany on Otello de Guldenboom second on seven faults and Dinan third with nine faults..

The U. S. had nine riders at the Finals, and all nine riders competed in the first round on Sunday, with six making the very final round, and four finishing in the top 10.

"I don't remember when we've ever had a result like that at the World Cup," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland. "Everybody rode really well."

“It’s always great to win the World Cup Final, but never better than on home soil! Most impressive though was that we showed a lot of depth this week with five US riders finishing in the top 12 placings,” said Ridland. “Across the board, our riders all rode extremely well, and finally, kudos to the organizers for producing a world class event and to Anderson Lima who built masterful courses all week.”

 

FARRINGTON had only one rail down throughout the entire competition, with that one rail coming in the first class on Sunday. 

Katie Dinan on Out of the Blue SCF (Photo by Sarah Miller for MacMillan Photography)That rail meant Farrington was on four faults with Deusser on seven faults going into the Final class, so after Deusser was clean in the last class, Farrington had to go clean to win..

"My friend Daniel made me sweat," said Farrington. “I was hoping to go into the last round with a rail in hand. That didn’t happen. It was a very cheap rail she had down with the plank in the first round. But I’m very confident in my horse, so I was hoping she would perform like she did, and she delivered. It was a fantastic weekend."

“Ever since I was a little kid, I have always put a lot of pressure on myself. At a certain point, there’s no more pressure to put on, so I just focus on the task at hand and being present and one with my horse. I was thinking about what I had to do and not worrying about the end result,” he said.

Dinan was one of only three to go clean in both final two rounds on Sunday, along with Richie Vogel on Gangster Montdesir, who finished ninth, and Duesser.

Dinan had also been double clear on the final Sunday in last year's World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland.

"With Basel and Fort Worth, Katie had eight rounds, and she jumped seven clean," said Ridland. "That's pretty impressive. The mare jumps really well indoors."

With her third place finish, Dinan, as the highest placed rider at the World Cup not already qualified, made the short list of riders for the World Championships.

Daniel Deusser on Otello de Guldenboom (Photo by Sarah Miller for MaMillan Photography)“This means a lot to me because the World Cup Final is what I grew up watching," said Farrington, who grew up competing in the Chicago area. "I didn’t have access to major events and competitions where I grew up, but I had access to video tapes of every single year of the World Cup Final. I would study all the rounds and all the rides hoping I could ride like that, so to be here winning it today is really special for me.”

“It’s important to note I rode two horses here and I couldn’t have done it without Toulayna on day one. I have two exceptional mares that put me in the position that I needed to win the title,” said Farrington.

World Cup podium(Photo by  Sarah Miller for MacMillan Photography)“I’m in awe of my horse," said Dinan. "She was spectacular in both rounds today. I owe everything to her. The World Cup Final is a big deal. It’s a championship every year and something we all aim for. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a handful of wonderful horses in my career, and the Final is something my team has always prioritized. My coach Beat Mändli won it in 2007, and I remember watching it on TV and my first World Cup Final was in 2014 when Daniel Deusser won. It’s unbelievable to be on the podium with these superstars and it’s something I’m proud of.”

Out of the Blue, the only U.S. bred horse in the Final, was bred by Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Ky., and she was started by Spy Coast's rider Shane Lowry.

“This is a mare that was born in the U.S. and did her whole young horse career in the U.S. She’s gone to Europe for shows, but everything was all U.S.-based,” Dinan said. “It’s exciting to represent my country like that.”

The U.S. finished four riders in the top 10 placings, with Aaron Vale on Carissimo 25 placing seventh overall on 16 total penalties, and Lillie Keenan on Kick On, finishing 10th overall.

Jacob Pope on Highway FBH had a strong clear round to finish the weekend in 12th overall with 21 faults, while Laura Kraut on Tres Bien Z, was18th in the final standings on 32 faults.