Five-time Olympic medalist Mclain Ward (USA) opened five-star competition during the penultimate week of the Tournament of Champions at Traverse City Horse Shows, setting the stage for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City. On the back of First Lady, Ward packed a punch to win the $32,000 Storm Ridge Capital CSI5* Speed from a 65-horse field.
Fresh off a successful tour at the Olympic Games in Paris where he was part of the silver-medal winning U.S. team, Ward took to Alan Wade’s (IRL) one-round track and once again proved that First Lady is always one to beat.
“First Lady is still a developing horse so I’m not entirely sure what her specialty is going to be yet,” detailed Ward. “She has been a spectacular 1.50m and 1.55m winner this season, but I still think she’s going to win a lot of bigger grand prix as well. I think she is one of those horses that has come into her potential a bit later in her career because she has so much quality, she really needed that time to grow and be at her best.”
Always one to be feared on any start list, Ward took to the ring aboard three different horses; First Lady, Callas and Quimi del Maset. Owned by Robin Parsky, First Lady was the one who rose to the top. The 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos) put forward the well-fastest time to stop the clock in 56.32 seconds and dethrone previous class leader Conor Swail (IRL), who led for 26 rounds before Ward entered the ring.
“She’s jumped some really big competitions very successfully and can still be your day-to-day winner,” continued Ward. “She’s an incredible part of our team. Her owner Robin Parsky has also been a great supporter of the U.S. Show Jumping team for many years so it’s always a pleasure to ride a horse for her.”
Complete results here.
Watch all the action at Traverse City Horse Shows on their free livestream here.
The $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Traverse City takes place Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2 pm – you can watch live on FEI-TV here.
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