Clinta confirms her star quality
McLain Ward takes the top spot on a mare made in Britain
PROUD New Yorker McLain Ward thrilled his home crowd with an incredible round to win the grand prix at the new Longines Grand Slam American venue on Clinta.
With 14 top names chasing the $126,324 (£92,000) top prize, the jump-off was always going to be fast and US-based Canadian Erynn Ballard set things up perfectly from first draw on Fantast, the horse on whom she won Friday’s Longines speed challenge.
Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire was in exalted company. She produced a lovely first-round clear on the scopey stallion Cornwall BH, but an early jump-off mistake dropped them into eighth.
When McLain and Clinta came in from 12th to go, Erynn Ballard was still leading. This was only McLain’s fourth big class on the 11-year-old Clinton mare who was a previous Horse & Hound “one to watch” when she was in young horse classes with Daniel Neilson.
Clinta has an enormous jump and she put this to good use in the jump-off when she helped McLain out after the shortest turn inside to the double, which they didn’t meet on the best stride. They ate up the rest of the course to knock almost one second off Erynn’s time. The final pair of Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and Hansson WL then gave McLain a fright, but finished a fraction slower in second spot.
“If I had to be beaten by someone, it’s OK that it was McLain. He’s a fantastic rider,” said Peder.
McLain was almost speechless.
“Sagamore Farms and Paul Schockemöhle worked hard to get Clinta for me — I think she’s the most careful horse I’ve ever sat on,” he said.