By Sara Cavanagh
McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y., won his sixth Devon Grand Prix last evening, winning the $100,000 class on his two-time Olympic team gold medal winning partner Sapphire.
But the win wasn’t easy. Hillary Dobbs, first to go in the four horse jump-off from a starting field of 26, riding Quincy B, jumped a clear round in 42.562.
Ward, second to go on Sapphire, just edged Dobbs, finishing in 42.516, just hundredths of a second faster.
Callan Solem on Quiet Winter Farm’s Allison, had four faults in 42.880 to place third, while Ward, riding his up-and-coming grand prix mount, Rothchild, only 8 years old, also had a rail down to finish fourth in a time of 43.129.
“I brought Sapphire here because it is the most important show in this country,” said Ward, who has a very well scheduled program aimed towards making next summer’s World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., and then a third Olympic Games team in 2012 in London, England.
“Sapphire jumped the first round like an equitation horse,” said Ward. “In the jump-off, going to the last fence, the eight strides got very short. It’s hard, having to take back and watching the clock at the same time.”
“I’m very excited about Rothchild,” said Ward, who is looking towards having the 8-year-old eventually replace Sapphire as his number one mount.
“I was thrilled to finish in the same second as McLain,” said Dobbs of Sussex, N.Y., daughter of CNN’s Lou Dobbs, who rode the Jumper Champion at Devon last year and was Devon Leading Rider.
“Knowing Sapphire was going after me, I had to take a shot right off the bat,” said Dobbs. This is one of the faster, cleaner jump-offs for this horse, so this was a step up.
“I was thrilled to be here,” said Solem of Colts Neck, N.J. “”Allison loves this venue. She’s 17, so every class I get to do with her is a bonus.”
The two-year-old Thoroughbred colt Hold On To Dreams, handled by Kenny Wheeler of Keswick, Va., was named Best Young Horse yesterday afternoon, while Junior Johnson of Oilville, Va., won the Leading Handler Award.