Rome, Italy – Members of the Short List for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team will compete this week in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Longines at CSIO5* Rome in Italy. The competition is a designated observation event that will help determine the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team will include Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Callan Solem, and McLain Ward. The U.S. has drawn second in the order of eight teams.

“All the horses jumped fantastic today. Everyone is ready and excited for tomorrow’s Nations Cup,” said Ridland. “We are continuing to do what we have done all year, which is to field teams with horses that have not yet competed in a Nations Cup in 2016. Zeremonie will be the only returning horse, having jumped double-clear in the Nations Cup at Wellington earlier this year. Similar to two weeks ago in La Baule, we are up against some very strong teams. We certainly have as good of a shot as anyone.”

Leading off for the U.S. will be veteran competitor Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) with Amalaya Investments’ Voyeur, a 2002 KWPN gelding. The pair amassed an impressive record of wins in 2015 at world-class competitions across the globe, including the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, the $250,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping at Lexington, the $400,000 Pan American Cup and the $400,000 RBC Grand Prix, both presented by Rolex at Spruce Meadows, and the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix presented by H&M at CSI5* Hamburg.

Solem (Glenmoore, Pa.) and Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC’s VDL Wizard, a 2003 KWPN gelding, will go next in the U.S. order. In 2015, the pair was a part of the winning Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team at CSIO4* Coapexpan. 2016 has been a break-out year for the longtime partners; in April they competed in their first FEI championship at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, finishing seventh as the top-placed Americans.

Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) will ride a rising talent in her barn, Old Willow Farms, LLC’s Zeremonie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare. The pair spent much of 2015 competing in Europe where it marked multiple top 10 placings. This spring they were a part of the winning Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team in the FEI Nations Cup at CSIO4* Wellington.

Riding as the team anchor, Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) will partner with Double H Farm & Francois Mathy’s HH Azur in the 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare’s first Nations Cup appearance. This outstanding mare has proven to be a force in Ward’s string, bringing in an impressive winning haul in 2015, topping the $132,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Toronto and the $75,000 Big Ben Challenge, presented by Hudson’s Bay Company at the Royal Horse Show®, the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the $35,000 RBC Capital Markets Cup at Spruce Meadows, and the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix. During week seven of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival this winter, the pair won the $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix.

Start lists, course maps, and results

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