New York, USA, 23 September 2016 \u2013 Jimmy Torano riding Day Dream won the Rolex U.S. Open Grand Prix, under the bright lights of New York\u2019s iconic skyline at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show.<\/p>\n
Capacity crowds filled the stands to watch 34 riders from 11 nations tackle the challenging course set out by Rio 2016 Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge. Rightly considered by spectators and riders alike as one of the most iconic venue settings in the world, the stage was set for an exciting night. The heat of the day had passed and a crisp, clear night awaited the start of the class.<\/p>\n
Testament to the difficulty of the course, it was only after 11 rounds that the crowd were rewarded with a clear round. Jimmy Torano was eighteenth to go and produced a round of elegance and precision to ensure he was through to the jump-off. Rolex Testimonee Kent Farrington aboard Creedance and fellow silver medal winning Team member at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, McLain Ward, were amongst those to join him.<\/p>\n
The spectacular floodlit arena, simultaneously brightened by New York\u2019s dramatic skyscrapers looming overhead, saw just 10 riders jump clear and proceed to the next round.<\/p>\n
The gripping jump-off saw a tense crowd cheer on the 10 challengers vying for the title, the Rolex Grand Prix. From the starters, only three riders produced a double clear. Fourth to go, Torano, produced the first clear round setting a challenging time of 37.05 to beat. Although Rolex Testimonee Kent Farrington produced a faster time, he incurred four faults, after the slightest of touches on one rail dropping him out of contention for the title.<\/p>\n
After his victory, a delighted Torano commented, \u201cHe\u2019s a very brave horse so I wasn\u2019t worried about the bright lights or the electric atmosphere. Obviously I didn\u2019t think he was going to win the class as he\u2019s young and there are some top combinations here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really can\u2019t say enough about this event. What gets better then riding in New York City with the incredible skyline like this? The crowd was unbelievable, it\u2019s as good as it gets anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite being a late entry to the class, Torano recognized that \u201cIt was one of those things that was just meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE COURSE
\nRenowned Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge, in his first year at the Rolex Central Park Horse show, set a difficult and demanding course to be completed within the allocated time of 83 seconds. Speaking after the Rolex Grand Prix, Jorge spoke about the course and how it rode. \u201cThe two main concerns here at Central Park for a designer are to find a good track on a small ring and one that\u2019s an unusual shape. I was happy today, they had a lot of room to gallop and to get to the fences, that was my main priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this event is very special, with the atmosphere and lights, it takes an exceptional horse to win here.\u201d<\/p>\n
WORLD’S TOP ATHLETES
\nNow in its third year, the show has quickly established itself on the international circuit as one of the world\u2019s leading iconic equestrian events. The show attracts many of equestrian\u2019s top athletes, as they attempt to contend for the Rolex Grand Prix, in one of the most unique event settings in the world.<\/p>\n
Founder of the Rolex Central Park Horse show, Mark Bellissimo, remarked \u201cThis really was a special night. When we started this event, the goal was to put together something that had top equestrian sport in a unique setting. I think tonight\u2019s competition was the best of the three years, with 10 in the jump-off in a very competitive round.\u201d<\/p>\n
COPYRIGHT FREE IMAGERY
\nFor a selection of copyright free images courtesy of ROLEX featuring the top three placed riders, please click HERE<\/p>\n
FINAL RESULTS OF ROLEX U.S. OPEN GRAND PRIX SHOW JUMPING
\n1. Jimmy Torano (USA) riding Day Dream
\n2. Sharn Wordley (NZL) riding Barnetta
\n3. Conor Swail (IRL) riding Cita
\n4. McLain Ward (USA) riding HH Carlos Z
\n5. Kristen Vanderveen (USA) riding Bull Run\u2019s Faustino de Tili<\/p>\n
ROLEX\u2019S EQUESTRIAN HERITAGE
\nRolex\u2019s support of show jumping dates back more than half a century. The prestigious Swiss watch brand\u2019s close and long-standing association with equestrianism demonstrates its appreciation of a domain in which fair play, equality, horsemanship and tradition highlight superior skill, accuracy and achievement.<\/p>\n
From Pat Smythe, the greatest female show jumper ever to represent Britain and Rolex\u2019s first equestrian Testimonee in 1957, to Scott Brash, the only rider in history to win three consecutive Majors in the Grand Slam in September 2015, Rolex continues to support riders in the three Olympic disciplines of show jumping, dressage and eventing, all of which demonstrate qualities of excellence, perfection and elegance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York, USA, 23 September 2016 – Jimmy Torano riding Day Dream won the Rolex U.S. Open Grand Prix, under the bright lights of New York’s iconic skyline at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[97,1,52,2044],"tags":[1898,1900,1899],"class_list":["post-5286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-events-magazine","category-uncategorized","category-events-magazine","category-magazine","tag-jimmy-torano","tag-rolex-central-park-horse-show","tag-rolex-u-s-open-grand-prix"],"yoast_head":"\n