WILLIAMSBURG — World No. 1 Kent Farrington (USA) continued developing one of his promising young horses Friday, guiding Diakatisa to victory in the $31,100 CSI3* Speed during week three of the Traverse City Spring Series.
One of 27 speed entries to contest Andy Christiansen’s (ECU) course, Farrington came in with purpose, knowing it was time to challenge the 9-year-old Oldenburg mare (Diaron OLD x Stakkatol).
“I thought my horse was great,” he said of Diakatisa’s performance. “With her I wanted to practice going full tempo and teaching her to look for the jumps. I think she handled it great today.”
He won the class with a few seconds to spare, clocking in at 59.24 seconds. The next-fastest pair was Charlotte Bettendorf (LUX), who was over three seconds off Farrington’s with Kalliope but ended up in second place on the podium. Victoria Heurtematte (PAN) and Condara claimed third.
Despite going later in the order, he didn’t change anything about his plan with Diakatisa, knowing exactly the path he planned to lay out in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring.
“Overall her rate of speed is just higher than most horses,” he said of what set the mare apart Friday. “I did a couple fast options and kept the track tight around the end, but I don’t think there was one spot that took the class today.”
Farrington typically spends the early summer in Traverse City developing younger horses before returning later in the season with a more established string for the Traverse City Fall Series. His focus for the early summer is to further develop upcoming mounts and take advantage of all the Traverse City Horse Shows schedule has to offer.
“[There are] A lot of different levels of classes that I can get in the main ring and jump, from small to building my way up into the FEI division,” he said of why Traverse City suits his needs at this time of year. “I can go back down if they need that. It’s a very productive few weeks for me in the summer.”
Jacob Pope, Unwritten top $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
As one of the top riders to beat in both the hunter and jumper rings in Traverse City, Jacob Pope brought home a win Friday in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby with Unwritten, owned by Stephanie Keen. The pair earned double scores of 94, thoroughly impressing the judges with their handy skills and jumping style against an impressive field.
“I started showing him here last year in the 3′ Greens,” Pope remarked after their win. “Now he’s stepped up to the 3’3″ Greens and he’s a blast to ride. We had nice success here last year and he had a great inter circuit so he’s feeling awesome coming into summer.”
At just 7 years old, the Holsteiner gelding handled both rounds with ease, despite not having many opportunities to contest handy rounds.. Competing in the Amateur-Owners has shown the horse a little about what course elements handy rounds can present, but his experience is still limited.
“I was just trying to be as smooth as possible,” Pope said of his strategy coming back for round two. “A couple inside turns I took but [one in particular] I didn’t do because I really wanted him to be straight to the in-and-out. I thought he followed me really well everywhere and landed all the leads. I was really happy with how he was right with me the whole way, which is what you’re really looking for.”
Pope spends much of each summer in Traverse City and has become one of the circuit’s most familiar competitors. Not only is it an enjoyable place to spend a summer but he particularly enjoys what a great atmosphere it provides for young horses as they progress through the levels.
“I talk all the time about how much I love being up here,” he shared. “Last week doing the Green [Incentive] Championship, [Unwritten] was second. That’s a good way to produce young horses because you have a nice ring with good jumps. The atmosphere is so nice with VIP being next to the ring. It really gets the horses prepared for anything. Doing last week really set us up to have a good round today. I was thrilled he had two good rounds today.”
Continue reading for complete coverage of both Friday’s hunter derby winners, including Brooke Farfone’s return from surgery to capture the $10,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby.