Devon, PA - June 1, 2006 - "I felt normal and perfect before, and then I got on and had this funny feeling in my stomach. I thought, 'Don't chance it.'" Those were the feelings running through Danielle Torano's mind when she was warming up for tonight's $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon. When she was just five horses away from competing, she changed her mind, jumped off, and she and husband Jimmy asked Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward to ride Capitano in the grand prix.

Torano has known that she is pregnant for three months, and this week was the last possible week for her to still be able to jump her horses. Call it a feeling, a hunch, or woman's intuition, but Torano knew that she should not ride in tonight's class. What started as a bad feeling turned into a celebration when Ward rode the horse for the first time in the schooling ring, went clear in the first round, had an amazing inside turn in the jump-off that no one else attempted, and galloped home for the win.

Tonight's course was designed by Germany's Olaf Peterson Jr. The class had 29 entries and ten horses were clear in the first round. Two riders, Keri Potter Pessoa and Patty Stovel, were clear but had time faults.

First to return for the jump-off was Paige Johnson and Kadena R, who raced around the course only to pull the last rail down at the tall plank vertical in a time of 41.612 seconds. Olympic veteran Anne Kursinski and Roxana 112 were next in. As they jumped over the second fence, Roxana 112 put her landing gear down early in the middle of the oxer and then jolted them back up to clear the fence, which unseated Kursinski enough so that she had to circle before the next jump. That caused four faults, and they finished in 48.505 seconds.

Michael Walton and La Rocco Junior were next in, but they pulled two rails for eight faults in a time of 47.818 seconds. Following them was 16 year old Addison Phillips, fresh off a Best Child Rider title the previous week at Devon. She was on Trezebees, and they went whipping around the jump-off course. They landed from the one stride and made a phenomenal turn, cutting in between two standards with just inches to spare, which caused the entire crowd to gasp at her daring move. She had a huge lead on time as she jumped over the triple bar and headed to the last vertical. Phillips galloped on and left out a stride to the last jump, but Trezebees just barely knocked down the plank for four faults. They finished in 37.898 seconds.

Little Big Man and Laura Chapot were the next big threat. The little chestnut gelding flew around in his trademark style. They were the first clear round of the jump-off and moved into the lead with a time of 40.933 seconds. Madison and Kent Farrington would follow with an incredibly fast time of 37.916, but they were chasing for second place as they had an unlucky rail at the second jump.

Next in was Ward on his unfamiliar mount Capitano. After the second jump, every other rider elected to go around a vertical in a sharp rollback to the big Budweiser oxer. As Ward approached the second jump, he slightly moved to the right side and sliced across the jump to the left, which gave him the opportunity to complete an inside turn to the oxer. They finished the jump-off clean and in the fastest time of the night, 37.673 seconds. "I had actually tried to recommend to Olaf to leave in the white vertical. I wanted everybody to run around because I didn't want to rollback that tight with Goldika," he revealed. "It turned out to be my opportunity in the end."

Gerona 92 and Mary Lisa Leffler were out of the running when they pulled a rail at the first jump and finished in 47.426 seconds. The next big challenger was Max Amaya and the feisty bay gelding Church Road. They were deceptively fast, as they did not make any big moves, but were very quick across the jumps. They finished clear in a time of 40.616 seconds, which would hold up for second place. Last in for the jump-off were Mark Leone and Pinkata de Longpre. Leone settled for a slow, clear round and fourth place in 50.151 seconds.

It was literally a last-second decision for Ward to ride Capitano, but afterwards there were many smiling faces. Ward was confident in the horse from the beginning. "He's a nice, good horse. I've seen him go a bunch and knew he was honest and scopey and quality. I knew that he was well trained. It wasn't really a safety issue," Ward explained. "The horse was already entered, so it was a good economical decision. To be honest, I figured it would be a chance to win a little bit more prize money. It was great to win on Capitano."

He also rode his own horse Goldika 559 in the first round, but they had one rail. "I thought it was a bit unlucky. She just touched a rail."

Most people would not consider riding a horse for the very first time in a competitive grand prix such as Devon, but Ward felt comfortable riding an unfamiliar horse. "The nice thing in that situation is that you don't have a lot of pressure, and you ride off feel," he described. "You have nothing to go with, so you do it off natural feel and a lot of times that actually works better."

While Ward did not have any expectations, the situation changed after the first round. He said with a laugh, "Jimmy said it was the first time he ever saw me smile after a first round. I liked the story if we could pull off the win, so I was bit hungry for it. I thought it would be a cool thing to do."

Ward mentioned that he was pleased with the course set by Peterson. "I thought it was an excellent course. It was a mixed field with some young riders who really did great, which bodes well for the future. Then you have great riders with their first horses. You don't want to hurt anybody or get them in trouble," he commented. "I think this is a grand prix where you should have a good jump-off. It's the only place in America where people are still here in the pouring rain. Every other show they would have left two hours ago. This is the best crowd we jump in front of all year."

Peterson confirmed the fact that he set a course that would be inviting for first-timers, but would still be challenging enough for the more experienced horses and riders. "I knew yesterday; some riders told me that their horses were in their first grand prix. I took that into the situation. I prefer to have ten clear rounds than not so few," he said. Regarding Phillips' unbelievable cut through two jumps he exclaimed, "I did not expect her turn. That was really, really nice. With a 16 year old, they don't think, but it's good! They just go for it and take it. Normally, it's not possible to turn there. It's a pity that she had the last rail." He also agreed that Ward's inside turn was what won the class for him.

The Toranos made the last minute decision to have Ward ride Capitano and see what would happen. "We thought McLain was the logical person, and he was the only one who would get on and do it," Jimmy Torano acknowledged. Danielle added, "He's the only one that we considered."

While Danielle Torano may have felt unsure about her ride, she knew that Ward and Capitano would work well together. She said, "He's a super, super horse. We trust him, and I thought McLain rode him picture perfect. It was really fun to watch." She went on to explain why she made her decision, "That feeling- I don't know what it was. I just knew I wasn't focused enough. I was just too worried. I was concentrating on that, and when I was going around I thought there was no way I can go in there and jump the course. It's the first time it's happened. I was struggling with when to stop. My doctor said that I was okay until this week and then I had to stop jumping. I got on tonight, and I knew immediately. This is it, I'm off."

Tonight was also a big finish for Max Amaya of Argentina, who had the best grand prix finish in his career with Church Road, owned by Sarah Becker and B&B Saddlery. "It is very big for me," he agreed. "This horse show is so historical, and for me to do well is an honor."

Amaya has ridden Church Road for three years and is happy to see the ten year old Irish Sport Horse evolve. "He has matured physically and mentally," he said. "He multiplies his stride more than he carries himself. Before if I pushed him, he got a little bit flat. Now he's starting to learn when I push him to have a bigger stride without getting flat."

"My plan was to go a fast as I could," he said. "Even without watching Laura, I have seen her many times, and I have never beaten her. I was surprised to beat her. On a normal day, I don't know if I would have beaten her."

Chapot had explained before that Little Big Man was not quite himself tonight, and going into the ring for the jump-off, there had been no clear rounds before her. "I thought he wasn't quite as sparky because of the heat and because he was so exuberant on Tuesday. Maybe he was a little more tired than he usually is," she remarked. "I was just in my head a little bit to be safe. I really probably shouldn't have because he's so careful anyway. I was really happy with him tonight."

In the press conference after the grand prix, people were crowded around to hear the amazing story of how McLain Ward got the ride on Danielle Torano's fantastic horse. Although Torano doubted her decision to ride in the grand prix originally, the tale had a happy ending. For the Torano Family, this is just the beginning of another chapter in their life. But whatever happens, there will always be humor from the easygoing couple. When asked what they will name their baby, Jimmy quickly quipped, "Not McLain!!"

Official Results: $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon, Dixon Oval

1. Capitano, McLain Ward: 0/0/37.673 Sir Ruly, Inc.

2. Church Road, Max Amaya: 0/0/40.616 Sarah Becker and B&B Saddlery

3. Little Big Man, Laura Chapot: 0/0/40.933 Laura Chapot

4. Pinkata de Longpre, Mark Leone: 0/0/50.151 Ri-Arm Farm, Inc.

5. Trezebees, Addison Phillips: 0/4/37.898 Addison Phillips

6. Madison, Kent Farrington: 0/4/37.916 Alexa Weeks

7. Kadena R, Paige Johnson: 0/4/41.612 Salamander Farm

8. Gerona 92, Mary Lisa Leffler: 0/4/47.426 Rolling Acres Farm

9. Roxana 112, Anne Kursinski: 0/4/48.509 Scott Hakim

10. La Rocco Junior, Michael Walton: 0/8/47.818 Penlyn Farm Inc. and J. Peter Nissen

For full horse show results, please visit www.thedevonhorseshow.com .

PhelpsSports.Com Is Coming In August!!