Kent Farrington and Grass de Mars Are Uncatchable in $62,480 CSI3* Welcome Stake at HITS Hudson Valley VI
Noticeably cooler temperatures brought a refreshing change to the venue at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York, on Thursday morning, July 31, as international show jumping action got underway bright and early. As part of the third and final week of the 2025 Hudson Valley Jumping Tour®, top sport was in full swing in the hunter, jumper, and equitation disciplines. Boasting a weekly FEI CSI3* ranking, the series has seen elite athletes from across the globe make a base at the world-class facility for the competition’s entirety. Continuing on an incredible winning streak, the morning’s debut class crowned Kent Farrington (USA) the winner of the $62,480 CSI3* Welcome Stake for the third week straight, this time time aboard Grass de Mars.
Recognizing the fierce competitors in the field, course designer Ken Krome (USA) built an intricate and challenging first-round class. However, with a lineup featuring several Olympians and multiple of the world’s top-10 riders, an impressive total of 14 entries managed to successfully navigate the track and secure themselves a spot in the jump-off.
The leading time changed hands over several instances, but with the number-one ranked rider in the world still to come as the final contender in the jump-off, no one was promised the win. Mounted on Robinson Ridge LLC and Kent Farrington LLC’s nine-year-old Selle Français mare (Windows vh Costersveld x Dollar Dela Pierre), Grass de Mars, Farrington shaved a mere three hundredths of a second off of Mclain Ward’s (USA) previous leading time of 33.49 seconds to clinch the win in a time of 33.46 seconds.
“She’s been a winner right from the beginning,” enthused Farrington. “She was winning classes when she was eight and she’s just nine this year. She already jumped some 1.60m rounds, and I don’t know how many international classes she’s won, but a good share of them have been at the five-star level, so very proud of the horse and happy with the progress.”
The win marked the third welcome stake victory in a row for Farrington, and his fourth FEI win of the series overall.
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