40 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 42
By Lindsay Yandon
The Pfzer $1 Million Grand Prix, spearheaded by HITS Horse
Shows in 2010, has only handed out three checks; but two were
made out to the same man. McLain Ward is now a Pfzer Million
Champion twice over. He piloted the beloved Sapphire to the top in
2010 and, after fnishing third last year, rode Grant Road Partners,
LLC’s Antares F to the blue earlier this month in a redeeming
performance just weeks off the Olympic Games in London. Here’s
a look at how two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward views
horse sport, a $350,000 payday and much more.
What’s it like to win the richest prize in show jumping?
Tom Struzzieri and HITS have done a phenomenal job producing
that class and the standard of the course was very high. We have
been averaging about $1 million dollars a year in prize money and
my injury put me behind the quota this year, so this was certainly
a nice boost. That check will be reinvested into our operation and
future horses.
How did the Pfzer Million course stack up to what you jumped
in the Olympics?
It was very comparable to the Olympics. To jump a clear round
over that course was no easy task. I think it’s unfortunate that
we don’t see that level in this country more often and I hope the
national standard in the United States can be raised for all levels
of grand prix. Fifteen years ago I remember having the same
conversations – we thought America was falling behind and then
we won two gold medals and everybody was happy again. We are
only as good as the horses and riders that are on the team and
there’s always just a handful with the ability to make it there. I think
more depth in the horses is the most important thing – when we
had Royal Kaliber, Sapphire, Authentic and Cedric, that was the
kind of group it takes.
What was going through your mind as you approached the
last fence of the jump-off?
Don’t screw it up – there’s a $230,000 difference between frst
and third! My horse was in great form, and I am so grateful to the
Dinans for giving me the opportunity to ride him. We’ve had plenty
of experiences together, so it was a matter of keeping my nerve. I
felt that if the horse and I performed our best on that day, we had
a good chance to win.
With Jonathan McCrea and Jill Henselwood behind you, the
jump-off was going to be no easy task. When did you think
you had it won?
I knew anything could happen until Jill had a rail down. I didn’t
set a blazing pace because the jumps were very big. I was
McLain Ward pilots Antares F to a million dollar win in the third
annual Pfzer $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson.
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McLain Ward and Antares F.
Photos by ESI Photography