Thermal, CA – February 1, 2025 – The USA’s Kent Farrington and Toulayna led the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ – Thermal, presented by La Quinta Resort & Club, from beginning to end on Saturday night, February 1.
In a thrilling night of top sport at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, CA, the number four rider in the world clinched his second victory of the 2024/2025 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season.
Farrington and Toulayna were the very first pair to take on the Alan Wade-designed course, and they showed the rest of the 21-horse field how it was done, paving the way as the first of seven clear rounds. When it came time to jump off in front of the full house, Farrington was again the clear pathfinder, this time stopping the clock in a fast 32.33 seconds.
“I’m pretty confident in my plan; when I decide that I’m going to do something, I stick to it,” said Farrington. “When you know a horse well, whether you go first or in the middle often makes no difference. If you have fast riders coming after you, it also doesn’t make a difference. Sometimes it can work to your favor too – then you don’t change your mind. You stick to your own plan. Luckily that worked for me tonight.”
As rails fell for the five riders that followed Farrington in the jump-off, it all came down to the final rider to return, Belgium’s Jos Verlooy. Aboard FTS Killossery Konfusion, Verlooy produced only the second double clear of the night; however, a time of 35.37 seconds put him into second place and secured the win by more than three seconds for Farrington.
“I had my plan, but I knew Kent is very fast,” said Verlooy. “[Kent’s] horse is very fast, so I knew it was very hard to beat, probably impossible. So, I was just thinking of my second place, what I had to do to be second… [My horse] jumped again his heart out, and I think I should be very happy with my second place tonight.”
Rounding out the top three with just one rail down in the jump-off was the USA’s McKayla Langmeier aboard Mimosa VD Rollebeek.
For Farrington – who kicked off the 2024/2025 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season with a win in Traverse City, MI, aboard Greya – he knew he could count on his partner of roughly four years, Toulayna, to put in a strong, quick showing on Saturday night.
“[Toulayna] is naturally a fast horse, which is a big advantage in our sport today,” said Farrington of the 11-year-old Zangersheide mare. “If you naturally have a horse who already wants to be quick, then, as a rider, it’s much easier to do less and just not interfere, which is more or less my job in riding her.”
Farrington continued, “I own her together with Rabbit Root Farm based here in California. So that was great for me to bring her out, and they were here tonight to watch her. She’s been an incredible winner her whole career. She’s already won quite a few grand prix. She’s super competitive, and she’s careful. So, she’s a pleasure to ride, and I’m so happy to have her a part of my team.”
Farrington’s dual World Cup qualifier wins currently move him atop the North American League standings with 54 points, which puts him in prime position to secure a spot at the World Cup Final in April. However, whether or not Farrington ultimately makes the trip to Basel, Switzerland, will be decided by his horses.
“I’m not sure at this time whether that’ll be a focus, but I am interested in earning the points so that I have it as an option,” said Farrington. “If I feel in good enough form to contend and to compete for the win, then I’ll go. If I don’t think I’m there, then I’ll skip it. I’ll let the horses tell me what I’m doing.”
As for future World Cup plans in Thermal, CA, DIHP is proud to again be a host of the prestigious series, and the DIHP team aims to continue to produce World Cup qualifiers for many years to come.
“I’ve said this a bunch this year: if you had said we’d be where we are right now after six years, I would’ve been pretty excited,” said DIHP CEO and President Steve Hankin, who is also part of the team that acquired DIHP in 2019. “We’re thrilled with where we are, and we’re thrilled to welcome everybody. It’s great to see new riders here all the time and to welcome them to the desert and everything that we have to offer. We’re also really thrilled to have World Cup back. I remember when we first took [over the horse park], we had a World Cup qualifier, and Connie [Sawyer] and I had a conversation about how we were losing [the opportunity to host the class], and I told her we would get it back here one day and make her proud! So, we’re really thrilled. We’re thrilled to have this event here, and we’re thrilled to showcase what we’re doing here to the rest of the world.”
To view full results of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™, click here.
