WELLINGTON, Fla,--McLain Ward on Blossom Z flew to the win in the $50,000, 1.50m National Grand Prix on Saturday, March 6, in the International Arena at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
McLain Ward on Blossom Z (Photo by Sportfot)A total of 25 competed over the 1.50m track set by Steve Stephens and Nick Granat with nine qualifying to return for the jump-off.
First to go of the nine returning, Ben Maher of Great Britain on Kalinka De Kalvari set the pace, going clean in 36.200 seconds.
Fifth in the order, Ward beat the time set by Maher, going clean in 33.022 seconds.
“She’s a quick horse naturally,” said Ward. “She’s typically the fastest one in the first round. She was the fastest in our class the other day with the last fence down, so she’s quick across the ground. The numbers of strides set up nicely for me today. With my size stride she was able to keep coming, and Ben couldn’t do one less but had to do it slower.”
The jump-off became a battle of the world’s best as the second ranked rider in the world, Martin Fuchs, was third on Conner 70, finishing in 36.205, just five-thousandths of a second behind Maher, who sits fifth in the world rankings.
Ward, currently ranked 14th in the world, bought the winning mare in mid-December.
“She’s a special horse,” said Ward. “She’s a really good jumper and very careful but she’s also a little bit spicy and likes to go her own way. It has taken us a little bit of time to try to figure each other out, and I think it’s starting to turn the corner in a good direction. She has a lot of ability, a little bit of personality, and we just need to meet our minds.”
“We’ve played around with some different bits,” he said. “We’ve also adjusted how we work her on the flat. She just doesn’t have all the experience in the world so it’s a matter of stepping her up, letting her digest things, and then she grows from it.”
MARGOT PERONI of Califon, N.J., rode Orlon to win the championship in the competitive Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3” 36 and Over division.
Peroni beat a field of 14 with a total of 34 points for the victory, winning three firsts and one third place ribbon to secure their spot.
“My husband and I picked Orlon out in Germany when he was 2," said Peroni. "We saw him, and were just like, ‘Oh my, we want that one. It worked out that we were able to vet him and bring him back with us, and we broke him and have put almost all of the work into him ourselves.”
“He is great at the handy rounds, and I think those are his favorite,” she said. “He is always so game for them; he loves to show off his inside turns but then still really jumps up great and uses his body. Especially in big rings like the Grand Hunter ring here, he really turns it on and struts his stuff.”
Reserve champion in the division went to John Ingram on Aristocrat, winning a first, second, fourth, and fifth for the reserve with 19 total points.
