East Dorset, Vermont — Kent Farrington of Wellington, FL, brought out the big guns for the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix at the Vermont Summer Festival. Riding Up Chiqui, he won the finale class of the six-week series that took place from July 9 through August 17 at the Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.
Twenty-four riders took to Pierre Jolicoeur’s course and eight of them figured out the first round. The jump-off ultimately came down to the tightest turns.
“I thought the first round was very friendly and just the right amount of riders went clear and we had a nice jump-off,” said Farrington. He noted that the jump-off also rode as expected, but the key to winning was turning hard and keeping Up Chiqui balanced.
“You just have to let him do his thing,” Farrington said of the 10-year-old powerhouse gelding who measures in just under 16 hands. “I just have to keep him from going too fast and going crazy. He’s built like Sea Biscuit.” They finished clear in 34.95 seconds.
Up Chiqui is owned by Alex Boone, WM Dobbs and Farrington, and has been celebrated numerous times in the grand prix winner’s circle including the 2007 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championships, and has finished in the top of multiple international competitions.
Bill Lowry of North Scituate, RI, rode last in the jump-off and came closest to Farrington and Up Chiqui finishing clear in 36.05 seconds. Lisa Rex and Fit 3, the pair who won week two’s $30,000 Battenkill Grand Prix and week five’s $10,000 TSE Cashmere/Furla Open Welcome Stake, presented by the Manchester Design Outlets, finished in third with a clear jump-off in 36.10 seconds.
This was Farrington’s third year at the Vermont Summer Festival. “It’s a great place to bring up young horses and young riders who are stepping up to the grand prix level,” he said. “I like that it’s laid back here, which is much different than a lot of the other big circuits.”
Up Chiqui is scheduled to show next at the Hampton Classic in Southampton, NY, followed by the Spruce Meadows Masters in Alberta, Canada.
The 2008 Vermont Summer Festival, held for its 15th year at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, offered a total of $750,000 in prize money throughout the six weeks of competition, making it the richest sporting event in the state. In 2009, the Vermont Summer Festival will again offer six weeks of competition from July 1 to August 9. Visit the Vermont Summer Festival website for more information, including full results.
$50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix
| Rider |
Hometown |
Horse |
Faults | Time | |
| 1 | Kent Farrington | Wellington, FL | Up Chiqui | 0:0 | 34.95 |
| 2 | Bill Lowry | North Scituate, RI | Rioi Corde | 0:0 | 36.05 |
| 3 | Lisa Rex | Westbury, NY | Fit 3 | 0:0 | 36.10 |
| 4 | Hillary Dobbs | Sussex, NJ | Marlo | 0:0 | 37.05 |
| 5 | Cortie Wetherill | Wellington, FL | Equinox | 0:0 | 37.67 |
| 6 | Danielle Torano | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Ormsby Hill | 0:0 | 40.21 |
| 7 | Bill Lowry | North Scituate, RI | Polygraaf | 0:4 | 37.07 |
| 8 | Timothy Hooker | Wellington, FL | Sirius 127 | 0:4 | 38.00 |
| 9 | Kevin Babington | Ireland | Caracas 49 | 1 | 86.16 |
| 10 | Danielle Torano | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | Vancouver D’Auvray | 1 | 86.83 |
| 11 | Hillary Dobbs | Sussex, NJ | Marengo | 4 | 78.93 |
| 12 | Holly Orlando | West Palm Beach, FL | Great Pleasure | 4 | 81.59 |
