McLain Ward Defends Title in $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix

The Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows concluded with a repeat win by the American rider, this time aboard the veteran mare Callas.

A man jumping a dark bay horse over a fence in New York.

McLain Ward (USA) won the $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix again, this time riding Callas. (SEL Photography)

By: Classic Communications | May 19, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. mclain ward defends title in $225,000 empire state grand prix by: classic communications |. defending champion mclain ward (usa) raced into the winner’s circle yet again for the $225,000 empire state grand prix presented by old salem farm at the old salem farm spring horse shows, this time sharing the victory gallop with his longtime partner callas. ward and beechwood stables llc’s 17-year-old holsteiner mare stopped the clock on a blistering double-clear score of 32.57 seconds. one of the premier stops on the american hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the old salem farm spring horse shows host competitions for riders of all levels and ages, ranging from young children on ponies to olympic veterans aboard their grand prix mounts. week 1 (may 6-11) was usef ‘national-6’ rated for hunters and jumpers and designated fei csi3*; week 2 (may 13-18) was usef ‘premier-6’ rated and designated fei csi4*. twenty-eight entries representing eight countries presented over alan wade’s 17-effort, 1.55m course for sunday’s $225,000 empire state grand prix, where each of the nine riders who returned for the jump-off seemed to get faster than the ones before. ward and callas returned toward the middle of the order, slicing and dicing their way to a 32.57-second time for the win. advertisement scroll to continue with content “callas is a longtime partner of mine; she’s a veteran and an overall fantastic mare,” ward said. “the jump-off set up well for us. there were two sharp left turns that were good for her. she tends to drift a little in that direction, and today, she performed beautifully. i think coming behind jordan coyle had me a little worried. i mean, he’s a go-for-broke rider, and when he jumps a double-clear, it’s usually quite the challenge to catch. but i really just stuck to my plan. the mare felt great, and everything showed up well for us.”. ward has won numerous grand prix classes at old salem farm and had the home crowd cheering as soon as he crossed the timers. “this is home for us,” he said. “we started about 35 years ago here; i remember i was second back in 1990. it’s been a long journey, and it’s amazing to see this event as prestigious as ever.”. of the seven riders who posted double-clear scores, two irishmen rounded out the podium alongside ward. philip mcguane galloped into second place with his 32.95-second time aboard orphea hq, evergate stables llc’s 11-year-old belgian warmblood mare. jordan coyle secured third in 33.18 seconds aboard jorisca, falkirk farm llc’s 11-year-old dutch warmblood mare. old salem farm has a full schedule of regional and international events scheduled throughout the summer, with highlights including the old salem farm summer jumper classic (august 21-24) and september horse shows (september 9-14, 16-21 and 24-28). further information on old salem farm and its summer show schedule is available here. results here.

Defending champion McLain Ward (USA) raced into the winner’s circle yet again for the $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix Presented by Old Salem Farm at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, this time sharing the victory gallop with his longtime partner Callas. Ward and Beechwood Stables LLC’s 17-year-old Holsteiner mare stopped the clock on a blistering double-clear score of 32.57 seconds.

One of the premier stops on the American hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows host competitions for riders of all levels and ages, ranging from young children on ponies to Olympic veterans aboard their grand prix mounts. Week 1 (May 6-11) was USEF ‘National-6’ rated for hunters and jumpers and designated FEI CSI3*; Week 2 (May 13-18) was USEF ‘Premier-6’ rated and designated FEI CSI4*.

Twenty-eight entries representing eight countries presented over Alan Wade’s 17-effort, 1.55m course for Sunday’s $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix, where each of the nine riders who returned for the jump-off seemed to get faster than the ones before. Ward and Callas returned toward the middle of the order, slicing and dicing their way to a 32.57-second time for the win.

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“Callas is a longtime partner of mine; she’s a veteran and an overall fantastic mare,” Ward said. “The jump-off set up well for us. There were two sharp left turns that were good for her. She tends to drift a little in that direction, and today, she performed beautifully. I think coming behind Jordan Coyle had me a little worried. I mean, he’s a go-for-broke rider, and when he jumps a double-clear, it’s usually quite the challenge to catch. But I really just stuck to my plan. The mare felt great, and everything showed up well for us.”

Ward has won numerous grand prix classes at Old Salem Farm and had the home crowd cheering as soon as he crossed the timers. “This is home for us,” he said. “We started about 35 years ago here; I remember I was second back in 1990. It’s been a long journey, and it’s amazing to see this event as prestigious as ever.”

Of the seven riders who posted double-clear scores, two Irishmen rounded out the podium alongside Ward. Philip McGuane galloped into second place with his 32.95-second time aboard Orphea HQ, Evergate Stables LLC’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. Jordan Coyle secured third in 33.18 seconds aboard Jorisca, Falkirk Farm LLC’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare.

Old Salem Farm has a full schedule of regional and international events scheduled throughout the summer, with highlights including the Old Salem Farm Summer Jumper Classic (August 21-24) and September Horse Shows (September 9-14, 16-21 and 24-28). Further information on Old Salem Farm and its summer show schedule is available here.

Results here.