McLain Ward (USA) won the 2022 Grand Prix of Greenwich with Lezaro. Photo by Ashley Neuhof.
The lineup will match the occasion, as an expected 49 of North America's top show jumping athletes are set to come forward for the third edition of CSI Greenwich, which will make its five-star debut, Oct. 5-8.
The group includes the defending champions of each of the last two editions of the event's feature, the Grand Prix of Greenwich. Inaugural 2021 champion Nayel Nassar (EGY) will this year present the accomplished grey gelding Coronado, who recently finished among the top 10 in the prestigious CPKC International at Spruce Meadows, one of the richest Grand Prix events in the World with a $3 million purse. Last year's victor McLain Ward (USA) will also bring out his best for Greenwich. Top mount Contagious is slated to compete; the overachieving chestnut gelding has represented the U.S. at both the Tokyo Olympic Games and 2022 World Championships and was double-clear for the U.S. in the country's only Nations Cup qualifier this May. FEI Level 4 course designer Alan Wade (IRL), widely regarded among the world's best builders, will once again set the tracks on the immaculately manicured field at the historic Greenwich Polo Club. Seven of the World's top 20 will contest his courses on the vast 91m x 152m competition field. In addition to Ward (No. 8), that group includes No. 7 Kent Farrington (USA), No. 11 Daniel Coyle (IRL), No. 12 Shane Sweetnam (IRL), No. 13 Daniel Bluman (ISR), No. 15 Conor Swail (IRL) and No. 18 Darragh Kenny (IRL). Four of these riders will compete aboard championship mounts at Greenwich.
It was Farrington who formulated the idea for CSI Greenwich, and the event has grown each year. CSI Greenwich puts North American show jumping, along with the greater New York show jumping community, at the forefront, bringing the feel of a European show stateside with a focus on top quality sport and an intimate, modern event experience. "I started this event with the idea that we could raise the level of high performance show jumping in North America, and we're seeing that with the group of riders that are coming to Greenwich this year," Farrington said. "They're here with their best horses, and that says a lot about our competition. I'm looking forward to a great week of sport." With CSI5* and CSI2* divisions on the schedule, CSI Greenwich spans four days, with the $500,000 CSI5* Grand Prix of Greenwich the competition's hallmark on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2pm ET.
For more information on CSI Greenwich, visit CSIGreenwich.com.
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