Alberta Equine ...On-Line News: Olympic Gold Medal winner McLain Ward takes home the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix aboard Phillipe at HITS Saugerties

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Olympic Gold Medal winner McLain Ward takes home the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix aboard Phillipe at HITS Saugerties

July 27, 2007

Saugerties, NY --- Olympic Gold Medal winner McLain Ward took advantage of the envious last-to-ride position when he rode Phillipe to victory in Thursday's $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties.

The class showcased three former Olympians, including Ward. Ward was a member the United States Olympic team in 2004 that captured the Gold Medal in Athens. He finished the featured class on Thursday at HITS with three mounts in the money, as he also secured fourth place aboard Larioso and 11th place aboard Quo Vadis collecting a total of $9,500.

After course designer Danny Foster cut a field of 31 horses down to six for the jump-off, Sergio Campos and Shakira Do Jacare were the first to challenge the jump-off route. Campos, a regular competitor at HITS Ocala, had an unlucky rail down midway through the round. His time of 41.747 was good enough for fourth place and $2,000 in prize money.

Olympian Margie Engle was next to go in the jump-off aboard Hidden Creek's Wapino. She made it all the way home clear and set the Great American Time to Beat at 43.188. However, her time wouldn't hold up as she finished in third place.

Ken Berkley and Carlos Boy challenged Foster's jump-off course next. A single rail down put the duo in sixth place. Next, Ward returned with his second mount of the jump-off, Larioso. The combination made it all the way to the second-to-last effort in the jump-off before dropping a rail. Their time of 42.905 was good enough for fifth place.

Margie Engle returned for her second trip of the jump-off. She was clean for the second time aboard Hidden Creek's Calippo 12. Her time of 42.924 set the new Great American Time to Beat, as she held the first two spots in the class with only Ward and Phillipe left to go.

Ward was fast and clean as he shaved more than a second off of Engle's time to capture the class when he stopped the clocks at 41.085 aboard Phillipe. As a result, Engle rounded out the top-three finishers aboard Hidden Creek's Calippo 12 and Hidden Creek's Wapino, respectively. Fourth place went to Campos and Shakira Do Jacare and fifth place was awarded to Ward and Larioso. The third Olympian to compete in the class was Nona Garson and Languster. She finished out of the money.

Ward earned some valuable points for the USGPL Standings during the grand prix. He and Larioso account for nearly $12,000 in qualified winnings, while Ward and his mount Phillipe now enter the standings with $7,500 in qualified winnings. The top-30 USGPL pairs will be invited to compete in the $100,000 USGPL Invitational Grand Prix which will be held at HITS Culpeper during the USGPL Finals on Sunday, September 30.

Week IV of show jumping at HITS Saugerties continues all weekend and culminates on Sunday, July 29 with the next chance for Grand Prix riders to qualify for the Invitational during the $75,000 Tavern on the Green Catering Grand Prix. The $22,500 Children's/Adult Championship and the $40,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship close out three consecutive weeks of shows on August 10-12 at HITS Saugerties. The summer series concludes with one final week of show jumping beginning on September 5, followed by the Marshall & Sterling League Finals, September 13-16 when acclaimed singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega will be performing for the Year-End High Point Awards Celebration that will be catered by Tavern on the Green Catering.

HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with world-class hunter-jumper circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.

1 Phillipe
 McLain Ward 
 McLain Ward 
 $7,500 0 0 41.085 
2 Hidden Creek's Calippo 12
 Margie Engle 
 Hidden Creek Farm 
 $5,500 0 0 42.924

 
 
3 Hidden Creek's Wappino 
 Margie Engle 
 Hidden Creek Farm 
 $3,250 0 0 43.188 
4 Shakira Do Jacare 
 Sergio Campos  Sergio Campos 
 $2,000 0 4 41.747 
5 Larioso
 McLain Ward 
 McLain Ward 
 $1,500 0 4 42.905 
6 Carlos Boy 
 Ken Berkley 
 Krista/Alexa Weisman 
 $1,250 0 4 45.074

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