Kent Farrington and Toulayna win the Trophée de Genève

Last weekend we once again prepared ourselves for the unparalleled grandeur of the CHI de Genève, which is part of the famous Rolex Grand Slam. This prestigious event once again brought together the top of international show jumping for a weekend filled with atmosphere, camaraderie, and, of course, many sporting highlights. One of those highlights was the victory for the American rider Kent Farrington and his 9-year-old mare Toulayna during the Trophée de Genève on Thursday evening. Farrington and Toulayna, a daughter of Toulon and Parco who was born by at the home breeder Jasper Doucé as Toulayna van het Bloesemhof Z and with whom Farrington won the CSI5* GP of Rockwood last summer, were one of the 15 combinations that remained clear in the basic round during this 1.60m class and thus qualified for the jump-off. They once again delivered a flawless round and with a convincing finishing time of 34.77 seconds they had a lead of more than 2 full seconds over the competition.

Kent Farrington: “This first place was my sixth victory at the Trophée de Genève. Unbelievable! I ride very fast horses and I'm really excited to see how far we can go with this incredible nine-year-old mare, who is gaining experience at this level and was just great tonight.”

But the 2nd place during this Trophée de Genève was also colored blue and yellow and this was achieved by the British rider Harry Charles with his 14-year-old gelding Romeo 88, a son of Contact van de Heffinck and Orlando who was born at the home of breeder Picobello Horses as Champion Of Picobello Z. Charles and Romeo 88 also managed to stay clear in the jump-off, but needed 37.08 seconds to reach the finish. For the Swiss rider Pius Schwizer there was a 6th place with the 10-year-old chestnut gelding Chelsea Z (Chellano Alpha Z x Cicero Z – B: Willy Sijbers) and for the French rider Julien Epaillard a 7th place with the 12-year-old mare Cancun Torel Z (Cosinhus x Grannus – B: François Xavier Guyard).

Another striking combination in Geneva was the Irish rider Daniel Coyle with his 13-year-old mare Legacy, a daughter of Chippendale Z and Bon Ami who was born at the home of breeder Romain Rotty as Chavantele Z. Coyle and Legacy already finished 3rd on Friday during the 1.55m class and also delivered a strong performance yesterday during the Rolex Grand Prix. They kept alle the poles in the cups during the basic round, but 2 penalties for time unfortunately kept them out of the jump-off and meant that they had to settle for a 9th place in the rankings.

A 1.55m class also took place on Saturday and the French rider Nicolas Deseuzes managed to jump into the picture with the 10-year-old stallion Eldorado Sunheup Z, a son of Eldorado van de Zeshoek TN and Quartz du Chanu who was bred in France by Carine Groualle from Elevage Sunheup. In a class against the clock, they secured a flawless round and this performance earned them a 4th place in the rankings.

Next to the prestigious CSI5* competition, there was also a CSIU25 competition on the program in Geneva and we also saw a blue/yellow victory her. During the opening day on Thursday, the 1.40m class was won by the Liechtenstein lady rider Jennifer Hochstadter with her 12-year-old stallion Tinka's Hero Z, a son of Tinka's Boy and Hooper who was bred by Vincent Jourdan and Luc Henry and with Hochstadter also performed strong in Madrid 2 weeks ago. In a class against the clock, they rushed to the finish in 53.98 seconds, giving them also a lead of more than 2 full seconds over the competition! A day later, Hochstadter and Tinka's Hero Z confirmed their good form with a 3rd place during the 1.45m class.