Wellington, FL – February 23, 2012 – Kent Farrington earned a victory for the United States on Thursday with his brand new mount Voyeur, owned by Amalaya Investments, in the $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 in Wellington. Showing in the International Arena of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the pair out jumped fellow Americans Katie Dinan and Grant Road Partner’s Nougat Du Vallet, who finished second and Cara Raether and Trelawny Farm LLC’s Saskia 269, who placed third. Catherine Pasmore and Pasmore Stable’s Vandavid also earned USA the fourth place prize.

The 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Germany set the course for today’s Challenge Cup class. Seventy-three entries contested the first round, with 16 returning to jump off. Seven completed the jump-off course without fault, with Kent Farrington and Voyeur securing the top spot with their time of 37.87 seconds.

Kent Farrington and Voyeur

Cara Raether and Saskia 269 were the first pair to complete a clear jump-off round with a time of 38.54 seconds to eventually finish third. Scott Brash (GBR) and Bon Ami, owned by Liz McTaggart, were next to go and captured the fifth place prize with a time of 39.71 seconds. Tim Gredley (GBR) and Omelli, owned by Mrs. R. Gredley, also completed a clear jump-off round in 40.55 seconds to place sixth.

Catherine Pasmore and Vandavid went next with a clear round in 39.42 second to grab fourth place, immediately followed by Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet’s round in 38.27 seconds to take the lead, but eventually settle for second.

Farrington and Voyeur jumped clear three rounds later to secure the win, and the only following clear round of Lauren Tisbo (USA) and Tequestrian Farm’s King Kolibri in 42.38 seconds landed in seventh. Charlie Jacobs (USA) and Deeridge Farm’s Leap of Joy had the fastest time in 36.61 seconds, but dropped a rail at the last fence to finish in eighth place. Laura Kraut (USA) was also faster than Farrington with Stars and Stripe’s Teirra in 37.62 seconds, but rounded out the United States’ top placings in ninth with four faults at an early fence in the jump-off.

Today’s win was Farrington’s second in this year’s WEF Challenge Cup Series. Farrington and RCG Farm’s Uceko earned victory in week five’s class, which was held in a split with 107 entries. His win today was with Voyeur, a ten-year-old KWPN gelding by Tolano Van’t Riethof x Goodwill, who came to Farrington through his European business partners Javier Salvador and Leon Thijssen just one month ago.

“They have had him since he was a young horse and they thought he would be a good match for me, so they put it together,” Farrington explained.

“I think that is my sixth time in the ring with him, so we are off to a good start. He did a couple of schooling jumpers and a couple 1.45m classes. He did the WEF on the grass last week and then the WEF today, so I am pretty excited about him,” Farrington smiled. “He is ten, but he is a little green actually for ten. He started late; he didn’t really start until he was seven. He was a little bit behind, but he is a great jumper and he is a quality horse, so I think he will come along pretty quick.”

Farrington plans to try Voyeur in the grand prix on Saturday night and will decide his further plans with the gelding from there.

“We are just kind of going with him class by class and what he is ready for,” he stated. “I will reassess from there and see if I have to back down again and do some little ones or if he is ready to keep going. I will just let him tell me what he is ready to do.”

Commenting on the course today, Farrington acknowledged Petersen’s ability to narrow down the numbers in the large class. “I think that when you have that many horses in the class, to have 73 with 16 clear is a job well done without it being a gut buster out there,” he noted. “It was a good course; a technical course with a nice use of time allowed. I think that is probably about the number he would have expected clear today.”

Kent Farrington and Voyeur with Jennifer Ward for SSG and ringmaster Cliff Haines

In addition to his winning share of the prize money, Farrington also got a $3,000 bonus for wearing his SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves during his rounds today. Farrington praised SSG on providing a rider incentive, stating, “I think any kind of rider bonuses are great for the sport. There is not a lot of that in the sport, so I applaud all of the companies like SSG that are doing things like that for rider rewards.”

Also showing in the International Arena this morning, Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Hunter’s Scendix, owned by Torrey Pines Stables and LVS Hunters, and Reed Kessler (USA) and her own Ligist each triumphed in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Jumper classes today.

Week Seven Hunters Ride To Win

Hayley Barnhill surpassed a field of 32 to win this week’s WEF Open Hunter 3’ division atop her mount, Caliber. The pair scored a first, two seconds and a sixth over fences and finished first under saddle to bring home the championship tricolor with 32.5 points. Barnhill’s under saddle win was accompanied by a plaque for the VitaFlex Victory Pass Award and free bottle of VitaFlex Vision. Sandy Ferrell claimed the reserve tricolor with 26 points, scoring two firsts and a second on her mount, Monroe, a twelve-year-old Oldenburg owned by Jessie Bagger.

The victorious Caliber is an eight-year-old bay gelding owned by Laura Karet of Pittsburgh, PA. The young horse has had a successful season thus far, winning reserve champion in the WEF Open Hunter 3″ division during week 5 of FTI WEF. 

Following their win this week, Barnhill commented on Caliber’s performance in the show ring. “He was a really good boy today,” Barnhill said.  “In the first round he just held his breath a tiny bit, but he was still great. Then, in the second round, he went around and did exactly what we wanted. He’s got a really nice canter and a great jump.”

Hayley Barnhill and Caliber

According to Barnhill, Caliber is still a little green but he knows his job. The pair focuses on landing on the correct lead in the schooling area before entering the show ring. For Barnhill, the 2012 season involves riding for Hunter’s Moon Farm and helping Reid Patton show at the junior hunter and equitation rings.

In the coming weeks, Barnhill anticipates that Caliber might step up to the First Year Green Hunter division while also competing in the Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 division with his owner, Karet.

Additional Hunter champions this week include professional riders Kara Raposa and Jimmy Torano. Raposa secured the championship tricolor in this week’s Low Hunter 2’6″ division atop her mount, Westcliffe, a sixteen-year-old Oldenburg owned by Stephen Martines. In the Baby Green Hunter division, Torano collected his third championship tricolor in a row on Pearl Street, a five-year old Oldenburg owned by Kathryn Haefner LLC.

Competition will continue tomorrow with the $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumper Classic in the International Arena at 1 p.m. as well as the USEF/Platinum Performance Show Jumping Talent Search in Ring 6. A special evening class will highlight the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix under the lights in the International Arena at 7 p.m. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

Final Results: $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 7

1. VOYEUR: 2002 KWPN gelding by Tolano van ‘t Riethof x Goodwill
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Amalaya Investments: 0/0/37.87

2. NOUGAT DU VALLET: 2001 Selle Francais gelding by Scherif D’elle

KATHERINE DINAN (USA), Grant Road Partners: 0/0/38.27



3. SASKIA 269: 2002 Holsteiner mare by Quantum x Carthago
CARA RAETHER (USA), Trelawny Farm LLC: 0/0/38.54



4. VANDAVID: 2002 KWPN stallion by Madison x Voltaire

CATHERINE PASMORE (USA), Pasmore Stables: 0/0/39.42

5. BON AMI: 2001 BWP gelding by Pavarotti VD Helle x Richebourg

SCOTT BRASH (GBR), Liz Mctaggart: 0/0/39.71



6. OMELLI: 1996 KWPN gelding by Burggraaf x Equador
TIM GREDLEY    (GBR), Mrs. R. Gredley: 0/0/40.55



7. KING KOLIBRI: 2002 Hanoverian stallion by Kolibri x Achill-Libero H

LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms LLC: 0/0/42.38

8. LEAP OF JOY: 2001 Holsteiner gelding by Lovari x Silbersee

CHARLIE JACOBS SR. (USA), Deeridge Farm: 0/4/36.61

9. TEIRRA: 2000 KWPN mare by Tolano Van Het Riethof x Aldatus

LAURA KRAUT (USA), Stars & Stripes: 0/4/37.62

10. TRAFFIC BOY:  2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Cardento 933 x Feliciano 823

SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL), Spy Coast Farm LLC: 0/4/38.87

11. SANCTOS VAN HET GRAVENHOF: 2002 SBS gelding by Quasimodo Vd Molendreef x Nabab De Reve

SCOTT BRASH (GBR), Lady Harris And Lady Kirkham:0/4/39.10



12. ULTIMO:  2001 KWPN gelding by Marlon x Laroche

HECTOR FLORENTINO (Dominican Republic), Stransky’s Mission Farm: 0/4/39.28

Photo Credit: Kent Farrington and Voyeur won the $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.sportfot.com. This photo may be used only in relation to this press release.