Kenny Finishes 1-2 in $10,000 Open Jumper 1.40m presented by Eastern Hay to Kick Off Second Week of 2024 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows
– The second week of the 2024 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows commenced Wednesday with several Open Jumper classes presented by Eastern Hay and the FEI horse inspection presented by Alliant Private Client. Ireland’s Darragh Kenny started his week with a 1-2 finish in the $10,000 Open Jumper 1.40m presented by Eastern Hay, posting double-clear times of 27.817 seconds and 29.359 seconds on Chic Chic and Vancouver Dreams, respectively.
The Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows are one of the premier stops on the nation’s hunter-jumper horse show circuit, offering a full schedule of world-class competition May 7-12 and May 14-19 that features the nation’s best in equestrian sport.
One of the busiest riders of the day, Kenny had eight horses entered in the $10,000 Open Jumper 1.40m presented by Eastern Hay, which saw 47 entries tackle an Alan Wade-designed two-phase course. He tripped the timers in 29.359 seconds aboard one of his earlier mounts, Oakland Ventures LLC’s Vancouver Dreams, a time that only he could beat without faults. His clear score of 27.817 seconds with Vlock Show Stables LLC’s Chic Chic secured him the win, with Vancouver Dreams ultimately taking second.
“They’re both amazing horses,” Kenny said. “I jumped Vancouver Dreams here last week. During Florida, she won a 4* grand prix, and she won a few good classes during the summer last year. She had a bit of an injury at the end of last year, so we’ve given her a bit of time and she’s just coming back now. She feels in good form again.
“I’ve been riding Chic Chic for four or five years now, and he’s ever reliable,” he went on. “He tries to win every class he goes in. Last year, he had one of the best years of his career, and he feels in great form again this year. He was very quick coming off the turns today. He’s a very experienced horse, so it was quite easy to take a risk there with him. He’s a good horse and has jumped a lot of bigger classes, so this was just a nice, fun class for him today.”
Rounding out the top three was Daniel Bluman (ISR), who finished third on Abigail Wexner’s Hummer Z with a time of 29.528 seconds.
“Both these horses will jump the [$25,000 Old Salem Farm 1.40-1.45m Jumper Classic] on Friday, then they’ll have a little break before one goes to Devon and the other goes to Upperville,” Kenny said. “Showing here [at Old Salem] has been great. The ring is great; the weather hasn’t been so good these last two weeks, but the footing is super. The courses are great, and the show is really enjoyable to be at.”
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