Devon Horse Show: McClain Ward wins the Sapphire Grand Prix
The show, which began on May 23 and benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital, winds down Sunday afternoon.
McClain Ward tells a story about a man he knows who jumps off a big rock into a lake near his home in Brewster, N.Y. to avoid “feeling old.” It was the same rock the man jumped off when he was kid. As long as the man can do it, he still feels young.
So Ward, 43, said to avoid feeling old himself, he needs to continue to win the Sapphire Grand Prix, the Devon Horse Show’s premier event.
Ward did just that Thursday night aboard HH Azur at the Dixon Oval, winning $62,500 of the $250,000 purse.
Ward finished the first round without a fall, as did eight other riders. He finished the jump-off round in 38.12 seconds. Paul O’Shea, aboard Imerald Van’t Voorhof, placed in second place in 39.41 seconds. Ali Wolff, aboard Casall, clocked in at 40.14 for third place.
Since Ward is never considered the underdog, all eyes are always on the fourth-ranked rider in the world.
“It doesn’t get easier,” Ward said. “You get to a point in your career where you win or your team is a bit disappointed.
“Everybody has their battle to fight, and that’s what’s beautiful about sport,” he added.
O’Shea was the second rider in the jump-off, and held the lead until Ward’s turn, when he was the seventh rider out of nine to move on.
O’Shea had a feeling Ward was going to catch him.
“I probably could have gone one stride less, but that wouldn’t have been enough, McClain was way ahead,” O’Shea said.
With Ward’s win, it’s his third consecutive Perpetual Trophy, and 11th since 1999. It’s safe to say Ward is known around the Main Line, and seems to get a warmer reception every time he comes back.
“The crowd is incredible here and obviously I have a long standing history here,” Ward said. “I try to block it out and not be distracted, but you feel the energy. I think the atmosphere is as good as anywhere in the world. I’m proud to do well here.”
The show, which began on May 23 and benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital, winds down Sunday afternoon.
In order to compete at the 11-day show, riders and horses have to accumulate enough points at other shows.
“It’s already an honor to qualify [for Devon], but to win, that definitely means that you’ve done well,” said David Wilbur, a rider with Redfield Farm, a stable that splits time between Florida and New Jersey. “It’s the most competitive horse show in the first half of the year.”
For more information about the show, go to www.devonhorseshow.net.