Greya, Gangster Montdesir, and Hello Folie Take the Weekend
Kent Farrington held off McLain Ward in the Hamptons, Richard Vogel made history in Brussels, and Scott Brash kept rolling in Gijón.
Three Grand Prix winners across three continents this weekend, and two of them wrote themselves into the record books. Kent Farrington and Greya beat McLain Ward in a jump-off at the Hampton Classic. Richard Vogel and Gangster Montdesir won the Rolex Grand Prix in Brussels, a result that made the ten-year-old only the second horse ever to win three 5* Grands Prix in a single year. In Gijón, Scott Brash and Hello Folie picked up a third 1.60m win at 4* level or above.
Brussels
Gangster Montdesir writes his name into the record books
The preview flagged Vogel and Gangster Montdesir as the sharpest form horse in the Brussels field before a jump was seen. The horse rewarded that data with a double clear and the win, and the win itself is now a landmark. At just ten years old, Gangster Montdesir became only the second horse ever to win three 5* Grands Prix in a single year, joining Explosion W. He is also only the second horse to record four or more 5* Grand Prix victories before the end of his ten-year-old season.
Twelve combinations made it through to the second round in Brussels. Gangster Montdesir was one of just two to produce a double clear. On the day, recent form carried the class.
| Horse | Rider | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gangster Montdesir | Richard Vogel | GER | 0-0, 42.34s |
| H5 Londontime | Eduardo Pereira De Menezes | BRA | 0-0, 42.85s |
| Pepita Van T Meulenhof BR | Daniel Deusser | GER | 4-0, 43.01s |
| Gatsby du Tillard | Simon Delestre | FRA | 0-4, 46.61s |
| Orak d'Hamwyck T&L | Frederic Vernaet | BEL | 0-4, 46.66s |
The Hamptons
No one laid a glove on Greya
The preview called this one plainly. Greya carried a 782 current Elo into the week, the highest of the field, and proved why once again. Ward and Lestro vd Valckenborg matched him fence for fence through round one and again in the jump-off, and it came down to half a second. As the first to go, Farrington laid down a time that couldn't be caught: 41.82 seconds against Ward's 42.56. The win is Greya's 12th at 5* or major championship 1.60m level.
| Horse | Rider | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Greya | Kent Farrington | 0, 41.82s (JO) |
| Lestro vd Valckenborg | McLain Ward | 0, 42.56s (JO) |
| Akarad Tivoli Z | Christian Kukuk | 4, 76.28s |
| Barclino B | Skylar Wireman | 4, 77.01s |
| Carissimo 25 | Aaron Vale | 4, 79.36s |
Gijón
Hello Folie keeps finding the top of the board
Away from the two 5* headlines, Scott Brash and Hello Folie won the CSI4* Grand Prix in Gijón. It is her third 1.60m victory at 4* level or above and her sixth podium finish of the campaign. Eleven horses came back for the second round, and only four of them managed a double clear. Hello Folie was the fastest of the four, carrying a current Elo of 760 into the class and confirming it with the win.
Elo told the right story in the Hamptons. In Brussels, the horse jumping best right now mattered more than the horse with the bigger reputation, and it happened to be a ten-year-old making history.