Wellington, FL – McLain Ward and his two-time Olympic gold medal partner Sapphire claimed their second Grand Prix victory in a row Saturday night by winning the $200,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI 4* presented by CN at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
In an exciting six-horse jump off before a near packed stadium under lights at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, Ward, of Brewster, N.Y. and the 14-year-old- mare owned by Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock posted a time of 43.51 secs. The pair won gold at Athens in 2004 and in the Beijing Games in 2008.
They finished just 0.18 seconds ahead of “Cap’tain Canada,” Ian Millar, and his 2008 Olympic mount, In Style, owned by Susan Grange. Millar, a nine-time Olympian won team silver at the 2008 Games. Ireland’s Darragh Kerins and Night Train placed third with a time of 45.80 secs.