March 2, 2025 
When you have a jump-off in which Richard Vogel (World no. 8) is the least accomplished, you know you’re watching something good.
A treat was exactly what the crowd was in for when watching the Mars Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. While the anticipation built, three of the world’s top 10 riders—Vogel, McLain Ward, and Kent Farrington—formulated their plans.
Farrington’s plan is always fast; the man simply operates at a higher speed than most riders achieve even on their fastest days. But for the first time in a while, it wasn’t all out. It didn’t have to be.
Vogel was first to jump with Event de L’Heribus. A horse newer to the four-star level, it was the gelding’s first CSI4* grand prix. Vogel wasn’t riding for second place, but three rails down landed him in third.
Ward took a calculated approach with High Star Hero, a newer mount for him, but he knew what was coming behind him. Farrington likely wouldn’t have rails, and Farrington likely would be faster. Ward also recently returned from an injury that kept him out of the saddle for a few weeks. So he rode a beautiful track that put him where he probably expected he’d be: in second place.
Had Farrington gone first with his spectacular mare Toulayna, we probably would have seen another dizzying round in which the livestream camera can barely keep up through his long gallops and tight turns. But he went last, and he knew what he had to do, so he kept things civilized.
Farrington explained, “When you go last on a horse you know well, the plan is always to see what the others do. I thought McLain’s strategy was smart—putting pressure on me to jump clear. If he went fast, my horse is probably quicker than his at this stage because she’s more experienced. It was just about being fast enough without making any stupid mistakes.”
The win was eerily similar to his last CSI4* Grand Prix victory in Ocala back in January: he rode the same horse as one of three in the jump-off, but that final result required a bit more speed, with only about one second separating first from third.
This time the job was easier, but Farrington was likely the pick even if the speed was full throttle.
Currently world-ranked no. 3, the United States Olympian has won more grand prixs in just two months of 2025 than most of his counterparts win all year. He’s winning on all his horses, and not one has seemed to have a bad day lately.
Toulayna specifically has jumped clear in nine of her 16 total 1.60m starts, and her more recent starts put her into second place at the Rolex Top 10 Final and atop the World Cup Qualifier in Thermal. She has finished in first or second in seven of her nine clear performances at 1.60m. She’s also been top 10 65% of the time at that height (Jumpr stats).
This class pushed the mare above the €1 million mark in prize earnings. Over half of that has come from her 1.60m performances (Jumpr stats).
Even Ward sang their praises.
“Kent’s on a pretty epic roll right now,” his fellow Olympic teammate said. “Everything’s working, and he’s doing a brilliant job. He has more experience with his horse, and she’s one of the fastest out there.”
It’s only March, but all signs point to Farrington being unstoppable in 2025.
