Text © World of Showjumping

Thursday’s highlight at the 2023-edition of CHI Geneva was the CSI5* 1.60m Trophée de Genève and it was USA’s Kent Farrington aboard the 9-year-old Toulayna (Toulon x Parco, bred by Jasper Doucé) that took the top honours after an incredibly fast jump-off.

With 48 horse-and-rider combinations at start, the class judged as a Table A with a jump-off – counting for the Longines Ranking Group B – was the first of two qualifiers for Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix. The first-round track set by Gérard Lachat (SUI) and Louis Konickx (NED) counted 13 obstacles and 16 efforts, starting with a 1.50m Rolex-oxer followed by eight strides to a 1.60m La Tuillière-oxer and a right-handed rollback to fence number three. The distance from fence six – a 1.63m Tribune de Genève-vertical – to a 1.60m Jaune-oxer as fence seven was either a very forward five or a holding six, and it was followed by a bended line to the vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination at fence eight, a part of the course that saw some of the best in the world penalized. However, in the end, no less than 15 pairs delivered a clear – showcasing the quality of the starting field. 

With twists and turns, the jump-off escalated into an exciting race against the clock, with Great Britain’s leading FEI U25 rider Harry Charles and the wonderful Romeo 88 (Contact vd Heffinck x Orlando, bred by Picobello Horses) sitting first with a time of 37.08 seconds as Farrington and Toulayna entered the ring.

While Charles had a tiny 0.02-seconds margin down to Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Bond Jamesbond de Hay (Diamant de Semilly x Kannan, bred by Jean-Luc L’Helgouarc’h), the current world number three Farrington knew that the door was still open as France’s Julien Epaillard and Cancun Torel Z (Cosinhus x Grannus, bred by Francois Xavier Guyard) had stopped the clock on 34.24 – their one fence down leaving them out of contention for the win. With a daring dash to final fence, Farrington and Toulayna stopped the clock on 34.77 – pushing Charles down to second and Wathelet to third. 

“My plan for the jump-off was to win,” Farrington told World of Showjumping after his 6th Trophée de Genève-victory. “I knew it would be a fast class, but my horse is naturally very quick, so that played in my favour tonight. Her ground speed is so fast, her stride is quick, and she is very efficient; she jumps very close to the rails – I think that helps her to be quick. She is a naturally fast horse, and on tight lines, all the way around she just picks up fractions of seconds all through the course.” 

“I’ve had her since she was seven,” Farrington said about the 9-year-old Toulayna that shows great promise for the future. “She is a very special horse, very careful and very fast. I have been growing her up to the higher level of the sport, and she has been great. I am looking forward to the future with her.” 

Harrie Smolders (NED) and Uricas vd Kattevennen (Uriko x San Patrignano Cassini, bred by Otto Boje Schoof) placed fourth in 38.15, while Victor Bettendorf (LUX) and Mr. Tac (Non Stop x Toulon, bred by Edmond Meyers) finished fifth in 38.63.