USET Foundation Awards Fritz Cup to McLain Ward for Win in Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship

Photo Credit: McLain Ward, winner of the Fritz Cup from the USET Foundation, with Rolex Watch USA rep Colette Bennett, NHS rep Bob Drennan, USEF reps Sally Ike, Maria Partlow, Jim Wolf, and NHS Chairman Mason Phelps Jr. Photo (c) 2006 Peter Llewellyn/PMG Pictures.

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Gladstone, NJ - December 11, 2006 - The USET Foundation awards many beautiful trophies throughout the year to various equestrian disciplines. One of the most coveted is the Fritz Cup, which is given to the national champion in show jumping every year. In 2006, the award was given to McLain Ward, who piloted Sapphire to the win in the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship at the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival on December 3.

Ward and Sapphire placed second in both phases of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship to win the overall title of "National Champion." Ward previously won the Fritz Cup in 2002 with Viktor.

"My horse was wonderful," he noted. "My goal was to be the U.S. champion and do as well in the individual competitions as possible. It's very exciting. It's nice that Rolex puts on this event. Hopefully, they'll continue to do this for us. I think this was a real success, and it was a great weekend."

Captain John "Jack" H. Fritz, who donated the trophy, has been a leader of the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) for nearly three decades. He has been a member of the USET's Board of Directors since the early 1960s and an officer since 1974.

Some of the most well-known names in equestrian sport have had their names etched onto the Fritz Cup trophy for the National Championship. The first winner was Michael Matz on Honest Tom, owned by Joy Slater, in 1981. Matz went on to win the trophy another five times on four different horses, sealing his place as the winningest rider in National Championship history.

Other multiple winners were Conrad Homfeld (1982 on Balbuco, 1984 on Abdullah), Leslie Howard (1985 on McLain, 1994 on Charisma and Gem Twist), and Beezie Madden (1997 on Imaginario, 2004 on Desilvio). Thirteen Olympians are included in the list of winners, including Katie Monahan, Chris Kappler, Lisa Jacquin, Tim Grubb, Peter Leone, Margie Engle, Peter Wylde, Laura Kraut, Todd Minikus, and Ward.

In 1992, the National Show Jumping Championship was first held in Gladstone, NJ, home of the United States Equestrian Team and now the headquarters for the USET Foundation. The event was held in Gladstone for the following 11 years.

The National Championship was held in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Selection Trials in Del Mar, CA, in 2004, in Saugerties, NY, in 2005, and is now the highlight event at the National Horse Show.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America's elite and developing international high performance horses and athletes in partnership with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

For more information on the USET Foundation, please visit http://www.uset.org .