The pinnacle of international show jumping during the final week of the Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® crescendoed in a buzz of excitement on the morning of August 2, 2025. Hosting a weekly FEI CSI3* division throughout the series, the venue at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York, has seen top talent from across the globe flock in with hopes of taking home their share of the prize money. Boasting bright skies and cooler temperatures, the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium shone the spotlight on one final international grand prix. True to his World Number One title, Kent Farrington (USA) claimed his second grand prix win of the series as well as his second win of the week, aboard Grass de Mars, in the $116,050 Purina Animal Nutrition CSI3* Grand Prix.
Course designer Ken Krome’s (USA) had the difficult task of creating an opening track that would be fair but challenging enough to test the field of elite combinations on the starting list, including olympic veterans such as Farrington, Mclain Ward (USA), Nayel Nassar (EGY), and Beat Mändli (SUI) to name a few. With technicality and carefully set fences, Krome’s course narrowed the list of 31 entries to a returning jump-off field of 11, with six nations represented. As the first to qualify for the short course and the first to return, Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) set the standard, posting a double-clear effort and holding the lead for a lengthy period of time. That was until Farrington re-entered as the second-to-last competitor. Mounted on his winning partner from Thursday’s $62,480 CSI3* Welcome Stake, Farrington sliced two seconds from Sternlicht’s leading time to land clean in an impressive 41.24 seconds for the win.
“She’s already won some great classes at five-star competitions and she’s only nine years old,” enthused Farrington of the nine-year-old Selle Français mare (Windows vh Costersveld x Dollar dela Pierre), co-owned by Kent Farrington LLC and Robinson Ridge, LLC. “She’s proving what she can do — she did two classes this week and won both in great form. She’s very fast and very careful. She’s a great horse to have on the team, and I’m very proud to have her with Katie Jacobs. A big part of my program is working with people who believe in me, and I’m very grateful for the support that I have.”
The U.S.-based athlete, who regained the title of FEI World Number One in May of 2025, previously held by Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden, has had a lengthy run of successful results both in the U.S. and across the globe, as he brings up his next string of incredible athletes.
“I’d say my mentality is all about confidence — confidence in myself and in my horses,” shared Farrington of his performance mindset. “My strategy really comes down to building a plan that I’m very confident the horse is capable of, and then executing that horse’s best round for the day.”
As the final entry on course, fellow Team USA rider Alessandra Volpi gave it her best shot and came the closest to catching Farrington. Piloting Cedar Fox LLC’s 14-year-old KWPN mare (Numero Uno x Iron), Glamour, Volpi was pedal to the metal, nearly eclipsing Farrington in a tidy time of 41.87 seconds. Sternlicht’s starting effort of 43.30 seconds aboard the Starlight Farms 1 LLC’s 15-year-old KWPN gelding (Verdi TN x Carolus H), Faquitol-S held up for third.
The Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® will conclude on Sunday, August 3, 2025 with the remaining national competition. Following a brief hiatus, hunter, jumper, and equitation sport at the HITS Hudson Valley venue will return Wednesday, August 27, 2025. For full results, please visit showmanagementsystem.com .
