Farrington Up for Title Defense as NAL Season Begins in Traverse City

Kent Farrington (USA) and Greya, winners of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ NAL 2024/25 - Traverse City (USA).  © FEI/Andrew Ryback Photography

The stage is set for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2025-26 season of the North American League, and it comes with a strong sense of déjà vu.

Traverse City (USA) hosted its first qualifying leg last season and will again host the NAL’s opening leg on 14 September. A year ago, Kent Farrington (USA) kicked the season off on the right hoof with a win aboard his incredible partner Greya, and the pair will return to defend their title next week.

Farrington is on a sensational run of form. He added a second World Cup victory last season at Thermal (USA) with Toulayna, ultimately finishing the season atop the league standings. With Greya alone, he has recorded four additional five-star Grand Prix triumphs since last year. He now tops the Longines Rankings for the fifth consecutive month. 

Farrington has always been vocal about his World Cup intentions: He won’t pursue the Final unless he feels he has a chance to win. In 2024, Greya helped Farrington finish fourth at the Finals in Riyadh (KSA), giving him his best career finish to date. The mare is an even better competitor now. 

"She's a sensational horse. She had a bit of a wild personality, but she's always been an exceptional athlete and a special horse. I'm very proud of what she's developed into. We're still at the very start of her career. I'm excited to see where it goes."

 -Kent Farrington (USA) 

Daniel Bluman (ISR) and Kristen Vanderveen (USA) were the closest athletes to Farrington’s tally at the end of last season, and they too will return to Traverse City with top mounts Corbie V.V. and Bull Run’s Jireh, respectively. 

Prior to Farrington’s dominance last season, World No. 11, Daniel Coyle (IRL) was the NAL points leader for two straight seasons. The Irishman will also be present at Traverse City and boasts six NAL victories to his name - not to mention a pair of additional Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ victories when crossing overseas for a tour on the Western European League. Remarkably, the wins have come with four different horses over the years: Cita, Farrel, Legacy, and Incredible. The latter three horses are still competing at the top of the sport.

World No. seven, McLain Ward (USA), captured his first career Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final victory in 2017, and is the second athlete ranked among the world’s top 10 with plans to jump in Traverse City. All eyes will be on his exciting partner Imperial HBF, who in limited starts already contributed to a Nations Cup victory for Team USA at Rome (ITA) in May, jumping double-clear.

Canada will be represented by a small but formidable group of riders. Mario Deslauriers - still the record holder for the youngest rider to win the Final when he did so in 1984 at age 19 - will come forward with the 9-year-old Genial de B’Neville. Erynn Ballard, who made her Final debut in Omaha (USA) in 2023, has a strong chance with 11-year-old Dior, placed among the top five in each of her last two Grand Prix starts.

Mexico has youth on its side in in 21-year-old Maya Denis, who will make her World Cup debut in Traverse City. The five-time North American Youth Championship medalist has seamlessly stepped up to the sport’s top levels with her partner Luidam Quality.

Abdel Saïd (BEL) heads up the European charge. Top 10 at the 2019 Final, Saïd first visited the North American League last year and has built up a strong business in the U.S. in addition to his existing program in Herentals. 

The NAL season will run through seven legs across North America, with the best seven East U.S., three West U.S., two Canadian, and two Mexican athletes punching tickets to the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in April next year. The initiative will be especially high for the U.S. contingent, with the Final taking place on home soil at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas (USA). 

To get there, athletes will look to accumulate valuable points at Traverse City, as well as at Washington (USA), Toronto (CAN), Los Angeles (USA), Thermal (USA), Puebla (MEX), and Ocala (USA). Since the Los Angeles leg debuted last year, the Santa Anita Park venue has been named the host site of equestrian sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. 

Athletes’ four best results will count toward their World Cup qualification, and it’s bound to come down to the wire.

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