Ward and the 11-year-old Zangersheide mare shaved over a full second off Jonathan Corrigan’s time of 59.000 seconds. Corrigan (IRL) piloted Andrea Vogel’s Fair Play, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, through the first of 22 rounds. The 14-effort course was designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade.

“It’s always nice to win, and Blossom performed beautifully,” Ward said. “There’s been a monumental effort this week by the Hampton Classic and their entire management team. We had some issues with the turf and a year off with COVID, so the environment has changed. They really moved Heaven and Earth – literally – to be able to get us back to the Grand Prix Ring for the weekend on all-weather footing. I think it worked and we’ll have some great sport.”

“Jonathan had the unenviable position of going first in a speed class, which is always difficult,” Ward added. “And with the new ground, we weren’t 100 percent sure how the horses were going to react. I think the advantage of the order was a big deal.”

Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) was the only other rider to beat Corrigan’s round, stopping the clock at a second-place time of 58.400 seconds aboard Lafayette Van Overis, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Starlight Farms 1 LLC. Corrigan and Fair Play ultimately finished third.

source: Press Release