Darragh Kenny Back In Wellington After A Show-Stopping European Tour
Twelve consecutive weeks spent in the same community may not seem very permanent to some, but for Ireland’s highest-ranked show jumping athlete Darragh Kenny, it’s just about the closest thing he has to home.
The time Kenny spends competing in Wellington at the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Palm Beach Masters series and the Wellington Turf Tour could be considered the calm before the storm that is his peripatetic lifestyle as a professional athlete.
Following the 2019 WEF circuit, Kenny spent the remainder of his year traveling to a new city nearly every single weekend while climbing his way up the world rankings. Kenny highlighted his most successful year to date by accomplishing his personal milestone of breaking into the world’s top 10 in October and concluded the year as the No. 8-ranked athlete on the Longines FEI world ranking list.
In 2019, Kenny amassed an astounding résumé of top results across the globe. With Balou du Reventon, owned by Ann Thompson, he earned two prestigious 5* Grand Prix wins in the summer, which include the LGCT Grand Prix of Shanghai and the €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix in Knokke Hippique. The pair also produced two clear rounds in the 2019 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona to earn team gold and the coveted final Olympic qualification slot for the Irish show jumping team in October, before going on to finish in second place in the LGCT Super Grand Prix at the Prague Playoffs in November.
Thompson’s Romeo 88 saw top results with Kenny through 2019, highlighted by second-place finishes in both the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Verona CSI5*-W in November and Kenny’s first Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final at CHI de Genève in December. Thompson is a valuable owner, also providing the ride on Important de Muze, which captured wins at the Sweden and London international horse shows, as well as sharing ownership with Kenny in Classic Dream, which finished in third place in the LGCT Grand Prix of London CSI5* and fourth in the Longines Grand Prix of Paris CSI5*.
Other notable finishes include victory in the $134,000 Kentucky Spring Grand Prix CSI3* and fifth place in the €1,000,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* at CHIO Aachen with Jack Snyder’s Babalou 41. Vlock Show Stables owns two of Kenny’s additional top mounts, Scarlett du Sart Z and Billy Dorito, which earned wins in Kentucky in the $35,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix and the $36,000 Welcome Speed Stake CSI4* at the National Horse Show, respectively.
While 2019 was a monumental year for Kenny, 2020 holds a lot on the horizon for the 32-year-old Irish show jumper as he kicks off his competition year in Wellington with sights set on his first Olympic Games in Tokyo in August. Kenny will use the Florida winter circuit to prepare, which has made up a major portion of his competition schedule for the past 10 years, leading him to purchase a home and add a base in Wellington for his international business of Oakland Stables, which he owns and operates with American show jumper Hardin Towell. The Wellington location gives their global operation three bases, with additional locations in Thermal, Calif., and Meijel, Netherlands.
“I had a very busy year in 2019 as I traveled to compete every weekend, but it was rewarding to achieve one of my own goals, which was to be ranked in the top 10 in the world. I couldn’t have done any of this without Hardin’s support in managing our business in America,” Kenny said. “It is always nice to come back to Florida in the winter because it feels a good bit like home. It also gives Hardin and I a chance to work on organizing the business at the start of each year.”
Together with Towell, the international operation offers development and sales of high-performance horses, along with an elite training program for students of all levels. Its continued growth keeps Kenny especially busy during his stint in Wellington, as he spends his time training his students in addition to managing the business, while also competing an extensive string of promising horses.
“[WEF] is really good because it has so many different rings, and the horses can show so many weeks. You can really get to know the horses better,” Kenny explained. “I am able to teach, train and ride at all levels in one place.”
Kenny’s current string boasts a diverse group that ranges from up-and-coming young horses to experienced CSI5* mounts. Many of his Oakland Stables-owned young horses stay in Europe until they are ready to campaign as sale horses in Florida. The team is showcasing four new 8-year-olds this circuit with hopes of producing them along to sell while continuing to compete with Kenny.
For now, it’s a welcomed change for Kenny as he spends his time in Wellington and takes the opportunity to stay in one place for the full three months of the circuit.
Oakland Stables offers training and sales at locations in Wellington, Fla.; Thermal, Calif.; and Meijel, Netherlands. Visit www.oaklandstables.net to learn more.
