Articles: Horse News
McLain Ward and Sapphire Finish Seventh Individually at the 2010 Alltech FEI
World Equestrian Games' World Show Jumping Championship presented by Rolex
McLain Ward and Sapphire.
Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2010
by Brian Sosby
Lexington, KY - The top 30 horse-and-rider combinations going for the Gold
medal in the World Jumping Championship presented by Rolex at the 2010
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games battled it out in the Rolex Arena at
the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday night in a two-round competition. The
U.S. Team was represented by the world-class grand prix duo and two-time
Olympic Gold medalists McLain Ward and Sapphire who have had an
exceptional year in 2010. The top four finishers at the end of the two
rounds will advance to the final competition on Saturday night.
Falling rails was a common theme of the night as there were only five clear
rounds in the first session and three in the second.
Ward, 34, of Brewster, NY, and Sapphire (15-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare
owned by Ward, Tom Grossman and Blue Chip Bloodstock) were seventh to answer
the questions proposed by Conrad Homfeld's course. The pair entered the ring
on a score of 12.27 having posted four faults in the first round and eight
faults in the second round of Individual competition.
Round A presented the riders with 12 fences (including a double combination
at fence 5 and triple fence 11) in a time allowed of 79 seconds. It was a
compact and adding course with short distances between the questions.
Ward and Sapphire looked the picture of confidence, and they showed
it. Posting a time of 72.13 seconds and zero faults, the pair moved into
ninth place headed into Round B.
After Round A, Ward said that Sapphire felt great and had been jumping well
all week.
"I really can't say that at any point that I thought she wasn't jumping
well," said Ward. "Today, she jumped great again."
Ward said that going into Round B felt bittersweet, and he felt like some
fans had been let down by missing a Team medal.
"But, it wasn't for lack of effort," he said. "I wanted to try to ride well
today and finish on a good note and try to find a respectable
place. Hopefully, we'll get back to the second round and climb a little
bit."
Heading into Round B, six horses did not return and the final 24
horse-and-rider combinations took to the course in ranked order after the
first round.
Ward and Sapphire went 17th in Round B and put down a clean and clear round
to stand as one of the only horse-and-riders to put in double-clear rounds
of the night.
In the end, Ward and Sapphire climbed the rankings from 26th place to finish
at seventh to end his self-described "rollercoaster ride" at the 2010 WEG.
"We've had a wonderful welcome here all week. It's great to have the home
crowd," said Ward. "We put the best group we could together."
"I'm 34, so I'll have a few more chances and couple of swings at it," he
said. "But, it wasn't meant to be. I'm lucky to have such a good horse."
The final four horse and rider combinations heading into the Final Four
contest are (in ranked order): Canada's Eric Lamaze and Hickstead (first -
3.39); Belgium's Philippe Le Jeune and Vigo d'Arsouilles (second - 4.11);
Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Rebozo (third - 6.80); and Abdullah Al
Sharbatly and Seldana di Campalto (fourth - 7.07).
ENDS
The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation(r) is to provide
leadership
for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the
pursuit
of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a
foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare
of its human and equine athletes.
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