February 23, 2025 
It seems Kent Farrington made a new year’s resolution: 2025 would be his year.
The American Olympian is claiming dominance across his home country, winning major grand prix titles in Ocala, Thermal, and Wellington all just this new year. On Saturday, he claimed the second of four CSI5* Grands Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival on Greya.
Farrington is no underdog. He held the world no. 1 position for over a year in 2017 and has consistently ranked top 10, now comfortably at no. 3. He’s a favorite no matter the field he’s up against. But his petite yet lethal mare Greya is proving she can match his freak.
At 11 years old, the Oldenburg mare is already over the €1 million mark in earnings (Jumpr stats) and has won four 5* Grands Prix. It’s becoming a trend to hear the commentators say, “I don’t think he left any room to catch him.”
That’s exactly how their blazing jump-off track in the Lugano CSI5* Grand Prix went down on Saturday. Greya made light work of round one, then put everything on the line in round two, nearly breaking land speed records to the final oxer.
“In these bigger arenas, [Greya’s] foot speed is so high across the middle where there’s a sprint to the next fence and that’s where she makes up a lot of ground, which makes her very hard to catch,” said Farrington. “She’s ultra careful so you can run at the jumps at speed and she’s an incredible competitor—a great modern show jumper.”
Second-place finisher Darragh Kenny of Ireland gave chase with his newest superstar Eddy Blue. He arguably found a tighter path in places on the short course with the lankier and big-strided gelding, but his ground speed just couldn’t catch Greya.
Fellow American Lillie Keenan was third with Argan de Beliard, jumping first and securing her podium finish with a double-clear.
“It’s an exceptional horse, but she’s still up and coming, I would say,” Farrington said of Greya after her second win in Wellington. “She’s coming of age now where she can really compete and I’m proud of what she’s showing she can do. I’m enjoying the moment.”
The numbers suggest he has every reason to be optimistic. According to Jumpr, Greya still has a 100% clear round rate over six rounds at 1.55m. Her 1.60m clear round average is lower (48%) over 20 starts, but she finishes in the top 10 at a 70% clip. And those percentages rises every time she comes out of late.
She also knows she’s a big deal.
“She’s an alpha horse. She’s in charge,” Farrington shared. “She’s very confident in herself and part of making those horses great is allowing them to keep that character and be who they are. That’s ultimately what makes them great fighters in the ring.
“For me that’s the best part of what our sport has to offer,” he said. “It’s the journey: working with a horse from the very beginning, taking the time, and developing them from small fences to the highest level. That’s one of the most rewarding experiences really bonding with an animal and becoming a great team.”
When you start the season this strong, it’s nearly guaranteed that it’s going to be an exceptional year. That world number one position better watch out.
