Last Updated on January 13, 2024 by adminahb
Darragh Kenny was seeing double on Friday afternoon after winning his second FEI class in the same number of days during the Winter Equestrian Festival’s Week 1. This time, the Irish Olympian piloted Serendepety to win the $32,000 Dodd Technologies CSI3* 1.45m Speed from a field of fifty-six riders over tracks set by USA’s Nick Granat.
Conquering the clock, Kenny and the nine-year-old Hanoverian mare (Emely x Escudo l) owned by Oakland Ventures posted the eventual winning time of 54.34 seconds, which held for the second half of the class.
“These 1.45m speed classes [at WEF] are incredibly competitive and fast,” admitted Kenny. “With such a large field of high talent, it’s a bit of a luck of the draw of who gets the prize that day. That being said, I knew I could count on this mare to be quick and careful, so I followed the planned track and it ended up being enough.”
Serendepety has demonstrated all the characteristics of a winner as a part of Kenny’s string. “We bought her when she was five, then trained her until she was seven,” said Kenny, who now owns the mare in partnership with German Olympic champion Ludger Beerbaum. “The idea for her is to continue working towards the highest level, and so far, it looks promising.
Serendepety gained experience at the 1.45m level with Kenny last year and made her debut in CSI3* competition this week. “She won a 1.45m grand prix as an eight-year-old, but this class was her first 1.45m of the year. So far we’re on the right track.”
Wellington International
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