World No. 1 Kent Farrington Opens 2026 With a Win in the $75,000 Adequan National Grand Prix

04 JAN 26 Ocala, FL

A rider in equestrian gear guides a brown horse over a green and white show jumping obstacle during a competition, with flowers and decorations visible around the course.

Ocala, FL – Packed grandstands set the scene for the first Grand Prix of the 2026 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC). The $75,000 Adequan National Grand Prix welcomed 28 elite horse-and-rider combinations, but the spotlight belonged to World No. 1 Kent Farrington (USA), who closed out the night with a winning round aboard his new mount, Descartes (Carmelo x Wida Jana).

A horseback rider in a riding jacket and helmet guides a horse over a colorful showjumping obstacle in an arena.
Kent Farrington & Descartes jumping in perfect form to first place during the 2026 Winter Spectacular Show Series. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

FEI Level III course designer Oscar Soberon (USA) presented a careful and technical track for Saturday night’s opening Grand Prix. The course proved demanding, with just six combinations producing clear first rounds to advance to the jump-off.

A person riding a horse jumps over a colorful obstacle in an equestrian competition, with hot air balloon decorations on both sides.
Sean Jobin & Grande Dame DK rounding out the top three. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Canada’s Sean Jobin was first to return for the short course, guiding the 10-year-old Selle Français mare Grande Dame DK to a quick, clear round in 45.096 seconds to set the early pace.

Ireland’s Darragh Kerins followed with Lissino, but their effort came up just short in 45.723 seconds. December’s $75,000 Grand Prix winner, Lauren Balcomb (AUS), entered the ring with Verdini D’Houtveld Z and looked poised to take the lead, stopping the clock in a blazing 41.205 seconds before a heartbreaking rail at the final fence ended her bid.

A rider on a white horse jumps over a pink and white obstacle during an equestrian event, with a building visible in the background.
Tracy Fenney & MTM Apple flying to second place in the WEC Grand Arena. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Tracy Fenney (USA) and the coming 15-year-old Danish Warmblood mare MTM Apple (Favorit Ask x Kong’s Whopsie) were next to challenge the time. Fenney delivered an even quicker round to move into the lead with a clear 43.970 seconds.

Kady Abrahamson (USA) gave the track a strong effort aboard Coquelicot Vh Heuvelland Z, but their time of 47.990 seconds came up short. 

Equestrian rider and horse jump over a blue and white obstacle in a show jumping competition, with a crowd of spectators watching in the background.
Descartes showing off his scope with Kent Farrington in the irons. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

As the rain began to fall, Farrington entered the ring last with Descartes, debuting the partnership. “He’s a new ride for me,” Farrington explained. “Francisco Pasquel called me and said he has an unbelievable horse in Mexico for me, and said I had to come and ride it. So, I flew to Mexico to ride the horse and here we are.”

With limited mileage as a pair, Farrington kept his jump-off plan simple. “He has a giant stride and a great canter, so I just trusted it and did my round.”

That trust paid off as Descartes galloped effortlessly around the short course, stopping the clock clear in 43.338 seconds to take over the top spot on the leaderboard. 

A rider on horseback holds an oversized check, flanked by three people, in front of an Adequan-branded display at an equestrian event.
Kent Farrington & Descartes accepting their first-place awards presented by Mason Jordan on behalf of the Roberts Family, Valerie Arcuri, Adequan Southeast Key Account Manager, and Jim Wolf of World Equestrian Center. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Looking ahead, Farrington is excited about the nine-year-old Mexican Sport Horse gelding’s future. “He has incredible scope and a lot of power. He has tons of experience competing in Mexico on sand and on grass. They have a lot of great courses and similar material that WEC uses here, so that helped in my confidence to bring him here and jump this week.”

Farrington also highlighted the unique atmosphere WEC provides for developing young horses. “The jumps here are really impressive. They’re kind of championship-style fences, which is why I like to bring my young horses here to compete. There’s also a lot of atmosphere. It’s a great way to produce young horses under the lights,” he said. “My favorite part about coming here is that it’s great for the horses. There’s a lot of space, the ground is great, and it’s a super environment.”

Sharn Wordley earned the Fastest Four Faulter Award aboard Hagelin, posting a speedy first-round time of 76.471 seconds with one rail down.

Carly Campbell Cooper received the Luck of the Draw Award.

$75,000 Adequan National Grand Prix Results

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes! 

This event is made possible through the support of our generous sponsors and marketing partner, Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau.