Inside McLain Ward's Big Win

Author

Megan Mahoney
March 13, 2023

After four exhilarating days of watching the Dutch Masters and a few too many bags of popcorn, we’re still recovering from a rough horse show hangover.

So today, we’re going to cover the only thing on our minds:

  • Dutch Masters highlights – From McLain Ward’s big win to HH Azure’s backstory

  • The perils of gardening and how it dashed Longines Global Champions Tour hopes

  • Deja vu in Wellington

But first…

McLain Ward Does it Again

McLain Ward and the 17-year old Belgian Warmblood mare HH Azur won their second consecutive Rolex Grand Prix at the Dutch Masters this weekend, beating out several other formidable horse/rider combinations.

Julien Epaillard, who had just won the Borek Prize a few hours earlier, was just two tenths of a second behind them and earned a valiant second place aboard Donatello d'Auge.

Rounding out the top three was World Number One, Henrik von Eckermann, and his seasoned partner, King Edward.

McLain Ward Aims For The 1 Million Euro Bonus… and a Spot in History

In last week’s trivia, we revealed that McLain Ward claimed he probably would have been a luxury home builder if he wasn’t a rider.

After this weekend, we think he should stick with riding.

In addition to his winnings from this weekend (​​330,000 euros), he’ll also receive a 500,000 euro bonus for winning two consecutive Rolex Grand Prixs.

This also gives Ward the chance to be the second rider in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam and receive an additional 1 million euro bonus.

Scott Brash won the Rolex Grand Slam in the 2014/2015 season and since then, no other rider has won two consecutive Rolex Grand Prixs.

Now, Ward has broken that streak and he’s eyeing that third title like a mare who’s breakfast is late.

HH Azur Doesn’t Need Her 401K Quite Yet – The Warrior Behind The Win

If you asked Ward two years ago what he thought HH Azur would be doing today, he probably would have said something along the lines of “hanging out and enjoying retired life.”

A few days before the Dutch Masters, Ward revealed that they had planned to retire her two years earlier due to an injury.

At 17, HH Azur, (or as her fans call her “Queen Annie”) has already had an impressive career.

She won the FEI World Cup Final in Omaha in 2017, helped the U.S. Showjumping team earn the silver medal in Rio, catapulted Ward to be the top ranked rider in the world and has earned over 3.6 million euros in total prize money.

But she wasn’t done quite yet.

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“At the beginning of the 2022 season, she was feeling better than ever, and we made the decision to keep competing her and then assess her later on in the season,” said Ward. “She ended up having the best year of her career so far. You can directly notice that she is truly passionate and in love with the sport.”

Now she can also add “second horse in history to win two consecutive Majors” to her resume.

Other Dutch Masters Winners

In addition to the Grand Prix, there were also three other noteworthy showjumping classes at the Dutch Master this week:

  • The Borek Prize: Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre

  • The Audi Prize: Max Kühner and Up Too Jacco Blue

  • VDL Groep Prize: Willem Greve and Grandorado TN N.O.P.

The Borek Prize: Julien Epaillard and Dubai du Cedre

Julien Epaillard had a great Sunday at the Dutch Masters as he won the Borek Prize for France aboard Dubai du Cedre just hours before finishing silver in the Rolex Grand Prix aboard Donatello d'Auge.

Right behind Epaillard was Belgian Gudrun Patteet on Sea Coast Monalisa van 't Paradijs, and Lars Kersten of the Netherlands on Boebka.

The Audi Prize: Max Kühner and Up Too Jacco Blue

On Saturday night, Austria’s Max Kühner and his mount, Up Too Jacco Blue bested a field of 38 entries to win the Audi Prize.

Victor Bettendorf was just over one second behind Kühner aboard his mare Astuce de la Roque, and World Number One, Henrik von Eckermann, took bronze on Glamour Girl.

When asked about his ride, Kühner said,

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“I knew that the times of Victor Bettendorf and Hendrik von Eckermann were incredibly sharp, so we couldn't miss a stride. That didn't happen. Up Too Jacco Blue was sharp and fast, but he stayed with me. I could stay on it and really enjoyed the jump-off."

VDL Groep Prize: Willem Greve and Grandorado TN N.O.P.

Dutchman Willem Greve was a hometown hero aboard his mount Grandorado TN N.O.P. as they claimed gold in the first of the CSI5* Grand Prixs on Friday night.

After the class, Greve said,

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“I have had this horse since he was three-years-old, so I have produced him throughout the levels, which makes this win even more special. He is just such a super horse, and I have worked hard over the winter to improve his rideability and his fitness.”

Harry Charles on Casquo Blue earned silver for Great Britian and Kevin Staut of France on Visconti du Talman rounded out the third place.

Gardening Incident Puts Philipp Weishaupt Out of Commission

Next time you’re preparing for an international showjumping competition, avoid dangerous activities like gardening.

After Philipp Weishaupt celebrated an exhilarating win at the first Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Doha, he ​​was forced to forfeit from competition.

Why?

He slipped while strolling through his garden and injured his foot.

Meanwhile, his employer Ludger Beerbaum was recovering in the hospital due to a fractured thigh.

The good news is that the case against Ludger Beerbaum from the German Equestrian Foundation's disciplinary committee was dropped. So lots of ups-and-downs for Beerbaum stables this week.

A Week of Deja Vu

Along with McLain Ward’s groundbreaking consecutive Rolex Grand Prix win at the Dutch Masters, there were several others that had repeat wins this week.

Daniel Bluman and Ladriano Z Win The $425,000 CIS5* Grand Prix in Wellington – For The Second Time

On Saturday night, Daniel Bluman of Israel won the $425,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty CIS5* Grand Prix, but it wasn’t their first trip to the winners circle.

The pair won the same event back in 2019, but this victory was no less spectacular.

They were last to go in the jump-off, which also included Nayel Nassar, Shane Sweetnam, and Karl Cook.

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“I watched Shane’s round and his horse and mine are both big and scopey, so I tried to do the same as him and edge him in a couple places,” said Bluman.

The plan worked out as he just barely edged ahead of Sweetnam by six tenths of a second with a time of 43.24.

You can see the side by side jump off rounds of Sweetnam and Bluman here.

Karl Cook rounded out the top three on the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Kalinka Van’t Zorgvliet.

Kyle King Defends His Kingdom at Desert International Horse Park

Kyle King also had a great week at the Desert International Horse Park winning:

  • The $50,000 Adeptus National Grand Prix on Cerolino

  • The $38,700 Whittier Trust CSI3* 1.45m Classic on Odysseus

His day started with Odysseus laying down the fastest double clear round with a time of 47.01 seconds.

After the class, King said,

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On [Odysseus] I was going to be a little more cautious than I planned for my second horse and it turned out the opposite. He’s just naturally fast so all the jumps showed up at the right place.

For the second round of the day, King originally planned to ride his seasoned mount, SIG Chiari, but ultimately decided to choose his newer gelding, Cerolino as he felt Chiari was maxed out from earlier that week.

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“I lost a little sleep over it but when I walked the course I liked it for him [Cerolino] because he’s a big, brave, scopey horse.” says King.

This was a major decision for King as he was leading for the $100,000 National Grand Prix Rider Bonus and couldn’t afford any mistakes.

But it worked out well as he ended up taking home both of the wins.

Farms We Love

If you win six Rolex Grand Slams, you could buy this swoon-worthy Wellington FL farm!

With four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and 24 stalls, this beauty could be yours for $5,995,000!

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