Wellington, Fla.—March 21   

In a case of student overtaking teacher, Paige Johnson defeated her trainer, Kent Farrington in the $127,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* in week 11 at the Winter Equestrian Festival. She rode her family’s Salamander Farm’s Dakota to the top check while Farrington rode a younger horse, Gazelle, into second.

“I came into this circuit hoping to win a WEF [Challenge Cup class], and I did that Week 6. My next goal was to win a grand prix. I had no idea it would happen [in] the same season,” Johnson remarked. “You can imagine that I am super excited and happy. It feels like the hard work and the team and everything around us is really paying off, and that is a great feeling.”

Farrington is known for his blazing speed around a jump-off course and he’s won his share of grand prix classes at WEF. But he didn’t quite go all-out on Gazelle this time. “She is a young horse, so my plan for the circuit was to build her up here. I started in the 1.45-meter and I was hoping by the end of the season to have another grand prix horse, and I think I have done that,” Farrington stated.

“I thought she jumped fantastic. I watched Paige go, and I wanted to give the horse a nice experience and try to compete at the same time without taking any huge risk. I knew it would be close and I was hoping it would be enough, but it was just a little off the mark,” he said.

Farrington was also proud to see his student get an exciting win. Johnson has trained with him for almost three years. “This is a huge moment,” Farrington smiled. “I am really excited for her tonight. She and a lot of my students have all had a great season. To see Paige have the biggest win of her career tonight was huge. We started a couple years ago and set out on some goals, and we are slowly checking them off one at a time. This was a big one tonight.”

Ramiro Quintana of Argentina and Whitney placed third while U.S. rider Lisa Goldman and Centurion B were fourth. Forty-three horse and rider combinations showed over Saturday night’s course, set by Olaf Petersen Jr. of Germany. Four made it through to the jump-off, where Johnson and Farrington were the only two to clear the second round course.

Goldman was first to jump-off with Mary Goldman’s Centurion B with one rail in 49.06 seconds. Quintana returned next aboard St. Bride’s Farm’s Whitney and also brought down one rail in a faster time of 45.41 seconds. Johnson and Dakota followed with the winning clear round in 47.47 seconds. Last to go, Farrington and Robin Parksy’s Gazelle were clear, just shy of Johnson’s time in 47.95 seconds.

Johnson and Dakota began their 2015 season with great results, including a win in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup in Week 6 of the circuit. That win was in a speed class in daylight, but the pair stepped up to the plate showing in a major grand prix under the lights as well. Competing in the impressive atmosphere of a night class with an arena full of cheering fans, Johnson and the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Calvados Ex Sable Rose x Cash) thrived.

“I thought I would go what speed I was comfortable. For me it was not all-out, but I did not want to be too slow because if I had a late rail, I would be third or fourth. I thought I needed to go fast enough to have Kent try to chase me. I did not think I was probably fast enough to beat him, but I knew he had a young horse, so that played in my favor tonight,” Johnson said.

Watch Johnson’s jump-off round on Dakota…

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Third place finisher, Ramiro Quintana, has ridden his horse for three years and knows the mare well. The pair had consistent results throughout the circuit and earned one of their top placings Saturday night. Despite a case of pneumonia that set the rider back for two weeks, Quintana returned rested, and Whitney was ready to go.

“She is a seasoned mare, and she knows the ring really well,” Quintana noted. “Unfortunately, I have been sick, but I am really happy to be back in the show ring feeling 100 percent. In the jump-off, I tried to go really fast to try and put the pressure on. I had Paige and Kent behind me, so I was really trying to lay it down and close all the doors. Unfortunately, it did not work out for me in the rollback to the second to last jump.”

Final Results: $127,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4*

1. DAKOTA: 2003 Belgian Warmblood mare by Calvados Ex Sable Rose x Cash,
PAIGE JOHNSON (USA), Salamander Farm: 0/0/47.47

2. GAZELLE: 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare by Kashmir Van Shuttershof x Indoctro,
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Robin Parksy: 0/0/47.95

3. WHITNEY: 2003 KWPN mare by Indoctro x Concorde,
RAMIRO QUINTANA (ARG), St. Bride’s Farm: 0/4/45.41

4. CENTURION B: 2002 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Rebel Z I x Indoctro,
LISA GOLDMAN (USA), Mary Goldman: 0/4/49.06

5. COMANCHE 28: 2006 Oldenburg gelding by Coupe de Couer x Baloubet du Rouet,
MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM (GER), Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC: 1/85.02

6. SHORAPUR: 2005 Hanoverian mare by Stakkato Gold x Drosselklang II,
KEVIN BABINGTON (IRL), Shorapur LLC: 1/85.83

7. QUABELLE: 2004 Selle Francais mare by Helrios de la Cour II x Kannan,
BLYTHE MARANO (USA), Riverview Farm LLC: 1/87.21

8. AD RACKHAM’JO: 2005 Selle Francais stallion by Diamant de Semilly x,
ATHINA ONASSIS DE MIRANDA (GRE), Athina Onassis de Miranda & Victory Equestrian Sport BV: 2/89.72

9. DON VHP Z: 2004 Zangersheide stallion by Diamant de Semilly x Voltaire,
HARRIE SMOLDERS (NED), Copernicus Stables LLC: 4/79.91

10. FIRST CHOICE 15: 2003 Hessian Warmblood gelding by For Keeps x Angard,
YANN CANDELE (CAN), Janice Aron: 4/80.85

11. CHAVENTYNO: 2006 Oldenburg gelding by Chacco-Blue x Aventyno,
BEN MAHER (GBR), Legacy Stables LLC: 4/81.51

12. DEAUVILLE S: 2006 Holsteiner gelding by Diamant de Semilly x Lux,
LAURA KRAUT (USA), Julius Peter Sinnack: 4/81.56