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USA’s Kent Farrington, current world number one, and the 11-year-old mare Greya (Colestus x Contender) won the last Rolex Grand Slam Major of the year, the CSI5* 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva as the 64th edition of CHI Geneva concluded at Palexpo on Sunday afternoon.

“To win here, any class, on any horse, is always special, just because of the environment and the show, and how much it all means to us riders to compete at Rolex Majors,” the current world number one said. “We always try to bring our best and to perform our best. New horses is always new challenges. Greya is an incredible horse and this is probably her biggest win to date by far, winning a Rolex Major. For me it is really exciting, to see her progress in the sport and what she has turned into as a horse in this sport today.”

After finishing second in Friday night’s Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, Farrington was happy to step on top of the podium this time around. “I was really hoping for a great result today,” he said. “I was annoyed with myself the other night, because I felt like my horse Toulayna jumped incredible and I did not ride my best. I put myself under a lot of pressure; I came all the way here to Geneva, I need to show up and ride a little bit better with these horses that are so good. I am thrilled with the result today, thrilled with my horse and happy for my whole team that makes this all possible.”

A total of 40 horse-and-rider combinations had qualified for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci and the 13-year-old gelding Hantano (Quasimodo x Numero Uno) were the first to find all the answers to the questions asked by the course designer duo Gerard Lachat (SUI) and Gregory Bodo (FRA), posting a clear as no. ten to go. Six pairs later, Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and the powerful James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising) delivered the second clear of the afternoon, and were joined by Marc Dilasser (FRA) on Arioto du Gevres (Diamant de Semilly x Qualisco III), Jason Smith (SUI) on Picobello van’T Roosakker (Kassander van’T Roosakker x Canabis Z), and Farrington on Greya for the jump-off.

Thibeau Spits (BEL) aboard Impress-K van’T Kattenheye Z (Indoktro K van’T Kattenheye x Vagabond de La Pomme) managed to cross the finish line just inside the time allowed of 74 seconds, and cleared their way into the jump-off when stopping the clock on 73.97. While Sophie Hinners (GER) aboard Iron Dames Singclair (Singular LS La Silla x Cardento 933) also delivered a clear, Simon Delestre (FRA) on Golden Boy DK (Diamant de Semilly x Cash) ran just 0.04 over the time allowed of 74 seconds, missing out on a Major opportunity. The allotted 74 seconds was the true challenge of the day; Peder Fredricson (SWE) on Alcapone des Carmille (Diamant de Semilly x Heartbreaker), Ben Maher (GBR) with Enjeu de Grisien (Toulon x Andiamo), Daniel Coyle with Incredible (Clinton x Heartbreaker) and Lillie Keenan (USA) aboard Fasther (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Farmer) all fell victim to the time while leaving the fences intact.

Great Britain’s Scott Brash entered the arena at Palexpo as the Rolex Grand Slam Live Contender after his victory at Spruce Meadows with Hello Jefferson. Riding the charming chestnut mare Hello Folie (Luidam x Diamant de Semilly), Brash picked up eight penalties when knocking down the double of liverpools at fence 9ab – one of the most influential fences of the competition. In the end, as the third last pair out, Germany’s Christian Ahlmann and Dourkhan Hero Z (Don’t Touch Tiji Hero x Zandor) also jumped clear, making it a jump-off of eight.

In the jump-off, Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz set the standard with the first clear, stopping the clock on 41.39 seconds. Only Farrington and Greya were able to go faster, taking the win with a time of 40.04 seconds, while Spits on Impress-K slotted into third, followed by Hinners with Singclair in fourth and Smith aboard Picobello in fifth.

Farrington was full of praise for Greya, who this year alone, prior to Geneva, had won six five-star Grand Prix classes. “Greya is just an incredible horse,” Farrington said. “From the beginning, she has been a super talent, and it has just been a matter of producing her to be at her best like she shows today.”

“I think the course designers did a great job,” second placed Sweetnam commented about the Grand Prix. “It was pretty fair, but the time obviously played a big factor of it, and then riders figured it out a little bit, and then rails kept falling in different places. We had a nice number of horses clear in the end.”

“I am sick of Kent, by the way,” Sweetnam added with a smile. “If you look at the results from the whole year, I have been on the podium behind him a lot – I am over that. I was looking over my shoulder, and it is obviously a brilliant horse, Greya, and I thought to put in a good round to put him under pressure so he needs to do something. It wasn’t maybe my complete round, but after watching him, I think even if I did my complete round, I still would not have been faster than him. To end up second in Geneva – I have been third and fourth here with this horse – I am moving up one spot, so maybe next year I can win.”

“In the jump-off, I tried to use a little bit the stride of my horse, and I think from one to two I went with one less and then I had quite a good turn from the double to the oxer,” third placed Spits explained about his strategy. “I tried everything, but this man was just too fast for me. I am very happy, I am just delighted to be here and happy to be able to ride the Rolex Grand Prix, because it is a class we grew up watching. Just being in the prize giving is unreal.”

“In horse sport, frustration is going to happen a lot, because percentage-wise you are going to lose a lot more than you win,” Farrington shared when asked how he turned Friday’s disappointment to positive fuel.  

“All of us doing this sport are used to it. What is the most frustrating is when you are feeling that your horse is really in the best form and you are not in your best form. This for me is the ultimate team sport, of horse and rider coming together to be a great pair. In terms of the result, I felt like I let my horse down because I didn’t produce my best result. I use it more as just a reminder to myself to keep my mind right, to get back in game. Every time I get on the horse, what attitude am I going to approach the day with? I can’t carry any resentment from past results or outside things that are happening in my life when I get on the horse. I get on a horse with a clear mind, and try to be really positive. I think the horses thrive on confidence and a good feeling, a good aura about you, when they believe in you a 100% – and I try to go with that mindset on every horse I ride.”

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