Kent Farrington, who was untouchable at last month’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Texas after winning the first two legs of the three-part seasonal highlight and holding on to claim the title with his two superstar mares Toulayna and Greya, is back out in front in the Longines Rankings.
Kent Farrington on Greya winning the World Cup (Photo by Shannon Brinkman)The two-time Olympian and Team USA silver medallist at Rio 2016 has squeezed ahead of former world number one Scott Brash 0f Great Britain by the slimmest of margins, with just 19 points between the two rivals for the top spot.
Chicago-born Farrington, who now bases himself in Wellington, Florida, has been nipping at Brash’s heels ever since the Scotsman overtook him at the helm in February, closing the gap between them to 196 points in the end-March rankings after winning the $1,000,000 Wellington feature with Greya on the last weekend of the month.
Moving into April, and Farrington’s sensational run in Texas allowed the 45-year-old to lift the magnificent Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™trophy for the first-time ever.
And he then capped off an incredible month by topping the feature Kentucky Invitational in Lexington on 25 April with the Mexican-bred 5* Grand Prix first-timer Descartes SR, who went on to finish third in the Monterrey 5* feature a week later.
“OF COURSE, I’m incredibly excited to be back at world number one," said Farrisnton. "It’s a great honor for me and my entire team, who make this possible with an exceptional group of horses. I’m truly grateful to ride such amazing horses and to work alongside such a talented group of people. With such a strong field of competitors, I look forward to the continued battles in the sport.”
The American previously held the top spot for a year from May 2017, and then reclaimed the world number one armband in May of last year from Sweden’s long-time leader Henrik von Eckermann.
Farrington held onto it for nine months until relegated by Brash in February and now, with 3,511 points and his string of incredible horses peaking at just the right moment, he is back in charge.
Brash, who has headed the rankings three times in a storied career that includes two Olympic gold medals, is second on 3,492 points, 254 clear of Germany’s 2025 European champion Richard Vogel, who stays third on 3,238.
Tokyo 2020 individual champion Ben Maher of GreatBritain, who shared team gold in London 2012 and Paris 2024 with Brash, holds onto fourth with 2,966, while Belgium’s European team gold medallist Gilles Thomas is also still fifth on 2,959.
France’s Nina Mallevaey retains sixth and the world number one female crown on 2,955, ahead of Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam, whose total of 2,924 keeps him in seventh.
Paris 2024 individual gold medallist Christian Kukuk is up a place to eighth with 2,905 points, with Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, with (2,745, and McLain Ward,, with 2,735, back into the top 10 in ninth and 10th.
Ward and Farrington remain the only two US athletes to be in the top 10 of the Longines world rankings.
The U.S.does have another two in the top 20, with Laura Kraut 11th and Karl Cook16th.
