Kentucky & Fontainebleau Sizzle with 5-star Action: Domination vs. Photo Finish

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What a week in our sport! Two incredible CSI5-star shows running simultaneously on opposite sides of the Atlantic, each paired with another 5-star discipline. Kent crushing the competition in Kentucky with a jump-off that nobody could match, while in France, Yuri Mansur squeaked out a win by a mere six-hundredths of a second. This is exactly why we love this sport—tacticians dominating one day, heart-stopping finishes the next.

The Shows: A Tale of Two 5-star Venues

Kentucky International CSI5-star

Kentucky Horse Park delivered its first-ever CSI5-star event alongside the famous Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, creating the only venue worldwide hosting both CCI5-star-L eventing and CSI5-star show jumping simultaneously. Nearly 90,000 spectators descended on Lexington for what organizers rightfully call "The Best Weekend All Year."

The elevation from 4-star to 5-star status marks a major achievement for the partnership between Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI) and Split Rock Jumping Tour. As EEI President Prim Hudgins noted, this creates "the only place in the world that offers this level of competition across two disciplines in the same weekend." Derek Braun's long-term vision "to make this into a premier event in North America" is definitely taking shape.

Le Printemps des Sports Équestres (Fontainebleau)

Similarly, the picturesque Stade Équestre du Grand Parquet in Fontainebleau hosted its fourth edition of Le Printemps des Sports Équestres, featuring both CSI5-star jumping and CDI5-star dressage, along with para-dressage, French championships, and a new pony division.

The event transformed this "Capital of the Horse" into a multi-discipline showcase, attracting World #1 Henrik von Eckermann, recent World Cup champion Julien Epaillard, and numerous Olympic medalists. The "garden party" atmosphere created a vibrant spectator experience beyond just the competition itself.

Main Event #1: Kent's Masterclass in $400,000 Kentucky International CSI5-star Grand Prix

Course & Challenge

Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge set a substantial 1.60m track with 17 jumping efforts that demanded scope, precision, and careful management. From the starting field of 40 combinations from 11 nations, only 9 pairs (22.5%) managed clear rounds—a perfect ratio for a 5-star event.

The Jump-Off Story

Going first in the jump-off is always tough, but Kent Farrington and Greya turned it into an advantage. They attacked Jorge's shortened course with calculated aggression, executing a jaw-dropping tight turn to the vertical over the liverpool that became the decisive moment of the class.

Their time of 42.93 seconds set an uncatchable standard. Both Charlotte Jacobs and Conor Swail attempted the same turn to the liverpool vertical but suffered refusals, landing them 9th and 8th respectively. Irish Olympic veteran Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz played it slightly safer, finishing clear but over two seconds slower (45.00s) for second place.

Young American Mimi Gochman piloted Inclen BH to a smooth clear in 46.06 seconds for third, while Venezuela's Luis Fernando Larrazabal and Condara took fourth (47.45s). Alex Granato showed speed but crashed through the penultimate fence, settling for fifth with the fastest four-fault round.

Champion's Perspective

Farrington called his 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Greya (Colestus x Contender) a "quintessential modern show jumper" who's "incredibly fast, super careful, and a fighter." He also revealed her powerful personality: "She's a boss mare—she runs the stable and is in charge and very confident in herself."

This victory wasn't about luck—it was a masterclass in risk assessment and execution that simply left everyone else playing catch-up.

Main Event #2: Mansur's Millisecond Margin in €200,000 Fontainebleau CSI5-star Grand Prix

Course & Challenge

Paris 2024 Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo crafted a fitting 1.60m test incorporating several iconic Olympic obstacles including the Eiffel Tower vertical, Notre-Dame wall, and Little Prince jump. The 14-obstacle, 17-effort course yielded 11 clear rounds from 49 starters—another perfectly balanced qualification rate.

The Jump-Off Drama

Unlike Kentucky, the Fontainebleau jump-off delivered one of the tightest finishes imaginable. World #1 Henrik von Eckermann led off but faulted. Belgium's Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone then set the first clear in 41.67 seconds.

Brazil's Yuri Mansur and Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm followed with a daring round, taking every risk possible and stopping the clock at 41.52 seconds. Immediately after, Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Bond Jamesbond de Hay delivered another flawless effort, missing the lead by just six-hundredths of a second (41.58s).

The margins stayed razor-thin throughout, with Italy's Emanuele Gaudiano fourth (41.77s) and Ireland's Bertram Allen fifth (41.83s)—the top five finishers separated by just 0.31 seconds!

Winner's Words

Mansur described Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm (Chacco-Blue x VDL Zirocco Blue) as "the best horse I ever rode," noting this was likely her sixth 5-star Grand Prix victory. Wathelet showed true sportsmanship in defeat: "I tried, I gave it all. Bond Jamesbond was incredible again... I can only be happy with my horse today."

Supporting Acts: Building to the Grand Finals

Kentucky's Path to the Feature

The $75,000 Welcome Qualifier on Thursday set the stage with 14 combinations qualifying for the jump-off. Speed demon Aaron Vale (USA) piloted Gray's Inn to victory in 35.09 seconds, a full 1.6 seconds ahead of Ireland's Darragh Kenny aboard Eddy Blue. Interestingly, three top pairs that qualified—including eventual GP winner Kent Farrington with Greya—elected not to jump off, strategically saving their horses for Saturday's main event.

Friday's $35,000 Speed Cup saw Alex Matz (USA) continue his strong form with Cashew CR, following his third-place finish in the Welcome. Conor Swail had kicked off the international classes on Wednesday by winning the $35,000 Two-Phase aboard My Lady Lavista.

Fontainebleau's Supporting Cast

France dominated the supporting cast at home. Julien Epaillard, fresh from his World Cup Final triumph, won Friday's €120,000 Prix Toubin Clément with Easy Up de Grandry (64.71s), narrowly defeating Germany's Hans-Dieter Dreher (64.91s).

Saturday's €60,000 Masters Prize saw the French lock out the top two spots, with Julien Anquetin and Fulldollar de Raygade (47.40s) edging compatriot Marc Dilasser and Arioto du Gevres (47.70s).

Rising star Nina Mallevaey enjoyed a spectacular show, winning both the CSI5-star Prix Communauté d'Agglomération on Friday with My Clementine and then claiming the prestigious French Master Pro Elite Championship on Saturday aboard Nikka vd Bisschop.

Quick Hits: Around the Globe

Austria Sweeps Nations Cup at Gorla Minore CSIO3-star

Team Austria delivered a clinic in the second leg of the 2025 Longines EEF Series in Italy. The squad of Gerfried Puck, Katharina Rhomberg, Christoph Obernauer, and Max Kühner (essentially their Olympic team) all produced double-clear rounds—zero faults total!—to win by a staggering 16-fault margin over Switzerland and Germany.

Global Grand Prix Winners

• CSI3-star Oliva (ESP): Scott Brash (GBR) with Hello Valentino
• CSI3-star Hagen (GER): Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER) with Tapioca 3
• CSI3-star Zielona Gora (POL): Jaroslaw Skrzyczynski (POL) with Komboy
• CSI2-star-W Beijing (CHN): Ella Yunjing Wang (CHN) with Barcelona led a home nation podium sweep

Industry News & Notes

End of an Era: Rodrigo's Olympic Partner Retires

Artemis Equestrian Farms announced the retirement of Carlito's Way 6, the 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Lordanos) that Rodrigo Pessoa rode at the Tokyo Olympics. Another championship horse stepping away from the sport.

FEI Rule Revisions Still in Focus

Discussions continue around key rule changes following March's FEI Sports Forum:

• Minor Blood Rule: The IJRC has proposed a more nuanced approach for accidental scratches.
• Rest Periods: Potential limits on competition hours (no starts before 8 a.m., finishes by 11 p.m.) are being considered.
• Olympic Format: The FEI confirmed three-rider teams with no drop score for LA 2028, but left the door open for possible four-rider formats in Brisbane 2032.

Looking Ahead: LGCT Goes East (April 28 - May 4)

The Longines Global Champions Tour heads to Shanghai, China, for its third leg (May 2-4). The GCL team competition jumps on Friday before Sunday's LGCT Grand Prix of Shanghai takes center stage at the Shanghai Juss International Equestrian Centre.

Europe stays busy with CSI4-star Montefalco (Italy), CSIO3-star EEF Nations Cup Mannheim (Germany), and CSI3-star Sentower Park (Belgium).

This Week's Rating: 8.7/10

What an incredible week of sport! Two CSI5-star Grands Prix offering completely different stories—Kent's jump-off domination showing the gap between him and everyone else versus the heart-stopping milliseconds that separated the top five in Fontainebleau. The technical courses from Jorge and Bodo, the storylines with youngsters challenging veterans, and the unique double 5-star discipline events all created spectacular showjumping.

Add in Austria's perfect zero in the Nations Cup and the French dominance on home soil, and you get our highest rating of the season so far!

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