John French makes it a rule not to catch-ride these days, but he made an exception for his friend Kc Branscomb at the Marshall & Sterling/USHJA National Championships (Nevada)—even though the horse she’d asked him to compete, Valentino BF, is just 5 and a stallion. 

“I told him that if he came to Las Vegas and there was anything the horse did that he didn’t like, he could get off,” said Branscomb, who bred and owns the young Oldenburg (Vagabond De La Pomme—Calida BF). “When he took him in for his first schooling round the first day on Monday, they let him go in to just jump around six or eight fences in the big South Point arena. He came out with a smile and he says, ‘I don’t think I’ll be getting off.’ ”

Everyone on the Branscomb Farms, LLC, team was smiling after “Valentino” put down one winning round after another. On Tuesday, French and Valentino topped a field of 37 to win the $25,000 USHJA National Hunt & Go Derby–Open, then they claimed the 3’3” grand green hunter championship title on Wednesday, along with blues in the green hunter 3’/3’3″ classic and the green hunter incentive 3’/3’3″ stake. The pair was also awarded grand green hunter and high score green hunter titles.

“I must say, when she reached out to me, I thought he was just doing the green division, and then I didn’t realize he was doing the derby too, and he’s only 5 years old,” French said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not sure what I signed up for here.’ ”

The horse’s maturity and readiness for the bigger division might have surprised French, who only met the stallion this week, but not Branscomb, who says the horse has always had a “golden retriever” personality. 

“He has a very chill brain,” she said of Valentino, who is a fifth-generation product of her breeding program, based in Half Moon Bay, California. “The horse is very smart. He loves his job. And you know, he’s a show horse: He likes the applause, he likes the ribbons, he likes the coolers. He’s happy to be here doing the job.”

The job wasn’t easy, either. French said that Valentino rose to the challenge of the derby, even when the green stallion seemed to be wondering why they were suddenly trotting a fence in the middle of the course. 

“[The handy round] was hard enough. As far as the turns, there was a lot of twisty turns where you go in between jumps to get to the next one,” he said. “For 5 years old, the horse handled it amazing. He just kind of has this pleasant way of going around, so he just looks smooth the way he goes.”

Watch their winning round:

For Branscomb, seeing French pilot the stallion she bred and raised was a bucket-list moment. Over the summer, French had reached out to Brancomb, who rode with him years ago when he was based in California, to ask about a photo he’d seen of Valentino. He wanted to see if the horse was for sale. Her answer was no—he’ll remain in the farm’s breeding program—but she remembered French’s interest in Valentino when her two regular riders, Jill Humphrey and Ivy Creahan, were both out with injuries.

“John’s the only person I know that can produce—consistently—the kind of rounds that Rodney Jenkins did,” Branscomb said. “I mean, he sees his distance nine strides off the corner; the horses love him; he knows exactly how to keep in a completely consistent rhythm, no matter how tight the turns, no matter how big the jumps, no matter what the horse does. John is just a legend, probably the best hunter rider of our generation—I really believe that.

“As a breeder, you want your horse to show himself as well as he can at a national championship show, and especially when he’s young and inexperienced like that,” she continued. “You want the master of the game.”

Branscomb said that after a year marked by significant health challenges, watching Valentino succeed with a legend such as French on a national stage has been a bright spot, giving her hope in the horse’s future—both as an individual competitor and as a breeding stallion. 

“This is a lifetime dream of mine,” she said. “I was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and went through some pretty major health challenges and surgery. [It’s a dream] to be able to be here in Las Vegas with the National [Championships] and see a horse I bred at my farm with all the employees that have been loyal to me and believe in our program and believe in our horses.” 

French, who was competing at the Marshall & Sterling/USHJA National Championships for the first time since 2018 after moving from California to Florida in 2020, said it was special to be a part of a team who had been devoted to a horse since before his birth. 

“I think it’s special for them, because they were there when that horse was conceived, and then foaled and they’ve been with this horse since he was born,” French said. “So I’m sure it’s like having your own kid, seeing him coming along like this. … They’ve been with him the whole way.”

Branscomb holds this success in contrast with a darker part of her farm’s story: Last year at the Longines FEI World Cup Final in Riyadh, her homebred jumper Chromatic BF collapsed and died in front of the same groom, Porfirio “Pepe” Rodrigues, who was with Valentino in Las Vegas. Following his death, Branscomb created the Chromatic Fund to support equine welfare initiatives. This week in Las Vegas gave Branscomb the chance to simply enjoy her horse and his success. 

“It ended so badly at Riyadh when my horse was killed there,” Branscomb said. “To be able to go home with a healthy horse, with a smile on my face, and bring all the championship ribbons back to all the employees at the farm—that’s huge for me.”

French was glad to help give his friend a moment of uncomplicated joy. 

“She said she didn’t get that high—it only lasted one day over at the World Cup,” French said of Branscomb’s experience with Chromatic’s death. “She never really got to celebrate because it had such a tragic ending. But she was like, ‘This weekend, I can just enjoy it. I’m so happy.’ ”

Branscomb says that while Valentino likes the attention and competition atmosphere, he’ll also be happy to return from his first big outing back to her farm in Half Moon Bay, California, and his pasture overlooking the sea. It’s important to Branscomb that her horses live long and well. 

“We don’t do a lot of jumping with him at home; he naturally knows how to jump well,” she said. “He lives outside. He comes in at night if it’s inclement weather, but sometimes we just let him sleep outside in his field, and he has his own paddock within sight of mares and other horses. And he just gets groomed and taken on trail rides.”