FORT WORTH, Texas--Kent Farrington on Toulayna won the first class of the World Cup Final, a 1.60m speed class, finishing clean in 62.03, but perhaps the most impressive result is that four U.S. riders are  in the top six.

Kent Farrington on Toulayna (Photo by Cindy Lee for MacMillan Photography)Daniel Deusser of Germany on Otello de Guldenboom was second in 62.21 seconds, and three-time Champion Steve Guerdat of Switzerland on  Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte was third in 62.49.

In the Speed class of 35 over a course set by Anderson Lima of Mexico, in which 3 seconds were added to a rider's time for each rail down, Lillie Keenan on Kick on was the fastest in the class, finishing in 60.78, but a rail down left her fourth in 63.78.

Jacob Pope on Highway FBH was fifth in 63.39, and Aaron Vale on Carissimo 25, who had been first to go, was sixth in 64.32.

"My strategy was really to stick to my own plan and execute on what I thought would work best for my horse," said Farrington. "She's naturally fast, so as you said, trying not to beat myself and put in a solid round. Happy to win, of course, thrilled with that, but it wasn't necessarily my plan to try to have the fastest time. I just did what I thought could be competitive round without taking all the risk and luckily, that was enough for the win today."

 

"TOULAYNA is a great horse I have together with Rabbit Root Farm," said Farrington. "We've had her since she was 7, so it's been a great partnership we've built over time. She's been a very reliable partner for my team, as you see today, and she’ll gets to rest now, and Greya is going to take over some work. As Steve said, there’s a lot more to do, but lucky for Toulayna, she'll get to rest on her laurels and leave here winning the one class she jumped."

Daniel Deusser on Otello de Guidenboom (Photo by Cindy Lee for MacMillan Photography)"I don’t remember the last time we had four in the top six after the first day, so that’s all you can really ask for, but there’s still a long way to go," said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland. "It’s always a good thing when you can have such a positive start to the week and there was some good riding today. You don’t want to lay it all out on the table on the first day, but you want to be in the game, so you have a good chance looking at tomorrow and Sunday’s final."

For Pope of Owings Mills, Md., it was his first time ever riding in the World Cup Final, and he had an impressive clear round to stop the timers in 63.89 seconds for fifth place.

The lead changed hands just twice throughout the entirety of the competition.

Rails fell throughout the course—though none more than the narrow upright at the final obstacle, which repeatedly brought heartbreak to otherwise good rounds.

“I don’t think there’s—in a course like that—one place where you win or lose the class,” Farrington said. “I don’t think there’s even half-a-second between first and third. For me, that’s just a flip of a coin of who wins that.”

Steve Guerdat on Albfuehrens lashin Sitte (Photo by Cindy Lee for MacMillan Photography)“Greya is an incredible horse, but it would be very difficult for her to go in on the first day in a small ring, after I’ve been jumping all winter in large, outdoor areas and be able to go fast enough to be in contention,” Farrington said. “So, I think I would have had to go in with a less aggressive plan [if I rode her today]. In order to have a chance in this Final, you have to be somewhere near the front at the beginning.”

“For me, it was important to have a smooth round and try to leave a few strides out here and there,” said Deusser. “A top five to eight finish was the goal today, and at the end I have to say I’m delighted with my second place. My horse gave me a good feeling. It’s important to ride clear from now, on, so we still have two days to go.”

Guerdat has won these Finals on three previous occasions—2015, 2016, and 2019—and a fourth title is now within reach.

Should hewin, Guerdat would make history as the first rider to achieve that feat. 

“I think Iashin is a very underrated horse, but he obviously has big shoes to fill, because I’ve been really lucky throughout my whole career to have amazing horses,” said Guerdat, who missed significant time in 2025 following two back procedures. “I haven’t been jumping much because of my health, but Iashin has been there the whole time, and I’m happy to be able to bring him a little more of the spotlight, especially on a stage like a World Cup Final. I’m confident that he’s going to keep fighting for me.”

The second day of competition, a jump-off class, will start Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. CT, which is 8:00 p.m. ET, today, April 10, and will run in the reverse order of the final placings from Thursday’s class, with Farrington returning last.

 A new champion will be crowned following two final rounds of jumping on Sunday, Apri 12.

“There’s still a lot of things to do, a lot of fences to jump,” Guerdat said. “There are two very strong guys in front of me, but also a lot of strong riders just behind us  We’re going to have a clearer picture tonight of how it looks for Sunday.”