We all knew Kent Farrington would eventually reclaim his world throne. But nobody really expected it to be this tight. Nineteen points. That’s it. That’s now all that separates the American from Scott Brash in the May Longines World Rankings. Practically nothing at this level. Behind them, the structure still stands… but the lower half of the Top 10 is starting to shake pretty hard.
The white armband changes biceps once again
Three months. That’s how long Scott Brash’s reign at the top of the world lasted. Long enough to remind everyone that the Scotsman remains a points-scoring machine. Just enough time before Kent Farrington came storming back.
Winner of the Longines FEI World Cup Final last month, the American reclaimed the world number one spot with a microscopic advantage: 19 points. The kind of margin that feels like a rail rattling but somehow staying up.
The craziest part? The story could already have gone the other way. Brash did finish fourth in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Shanghai last weekend aboard Hello Chadora Lady PS. Except the Chinese event, which started on May 1st, wasn’t included in the current ranking calculation. Meanwhile, Farrington had already collected points in Monterrey on April 30th. Brutal timing. Ruthless mathematics.
And just like that, the American, and Rolex ambassador, is back wearing the Longines white armband.
Vogel stays locked in, Thomas confirms, Mallevaey keeps impressing
Behind the two heavyweights, there’s little movement… but several very strong confirmations.
Richard Vogel remains comfortably parked in third place in the world. Calm. Efficient. Almost routine at this point. Same stability for Ben Maher in fourth, and especially for Gilles Thomas, still fifth and once again the highest-ranked Belgian rider. With the major summer championships approaching fast, the Flemish rider continues to look increasingly at home among the sport’s elite.
Right behind him, Nina Mallevaey stays sixth. And honestly, it’s probably time to stop calling it a “surprise”. The French rider now belongs among the regulars at the top table.
Shane Sweetnam also holds onto seventh place.
The bottom of the Top 10 gets messy
Most of the movement happened between eighth and tenth place, where the rankings decided to create a little chaos.
Olympic champion Christian Kukuk gains one position and climbs to world number eight.
Even better for Steve Guerdat. The Swiss rider jumps two spots and returns to ninth. And somehow, seeing Guerdat back inside the Top 10 always feels like the natural order of things being restored.
Then there’s the return of McLain Ward among the ten best riders in the world. Twelfth last month, the American now closes the Top 10.
Collateral damage? Laura Kraut drops out of the Top 10 to eleventh, while Julien Épaillard falls four places and lands in twelfth.
The French camp between bright spots and nostalgia
Even outside the Top 10, Julien Épaillard remains France’s highest-ranked rider. But the momentum is no longer quite as explosive as it was earlier this season.
The good news comes from Simon Delestre, who re-enters the Top 20 by climbing from 23rd to 19th.
On the other hand, the ranking of Kevin Staut almost tells a small chapter of French jumping history on its own. The Norman rider slips to 41st in the world and leaves the Top 30 for the first time since… the summer of 2009. An eternity in a sport where cycles usually burn faster than an indoor jump-off. And honestly, when you know how brutally difficult it is to stay inside the world’s Top 30 for that long, the achievement becomes even more remarkable.
Also worth watching: Antoine Ermann, now ranked 50th in the world and second in the U25 rankings behind Thibeau Spits, fresh off his five-star Grand Prix win in Fontainebleau.
Further down, Mégane Moissonnier, Marc Dilasser, Julien Anquetin, Roger-Yves Bost and Alexa Ferrer complete the French presence inside the world’s Top 100.
Almost flat calm for the Flat Country
No major changes for the black-yellow-red camp either: Belgium still has five riders inside the world’s Top 30. A stability that says a lot about the incredible depth of Belgian show jumping right now.
Leading the charge, Gilles Thomas remains firmly anchored in fifth place and keeps his status as Belgium’s top-ranked rider. Behind him, Belgium continues stacking luxury ammunition with Nicola Philippaerts in 15th (+1), Grégory Wathelet (-3), Abdel Saïd (-1) and Pieter Devos who jumps seven places this month.
With the outdoor season heating up, every single five-star Grand Prix now feels capable of tipping the balance in this Farrington-Brash duel. Big time.
The white armband has changed biceps once again. But right now, it’s hard to know how long it’ll stay wrapped around the American’s arm.
Find the full May Longines World Rankings here. here