For the second year in a row, USA’s McLain Ward and Rothchild emerged victorious in the $210,000 CP Grand Prix during the ‘Continental’ Tournament at Spruce Meadows. It all came down to the wire in the tournament’s final event on Sunday, as Ward and Rothchild went last in an 11-horse jump-off to win by nine one-hundredths of a second. Todd Minikus (USA) and Babalou 41 finished second, and Richard Spooner (USA) and Chivas Z placed third. Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) set the course for Sunday’s grand prix, with 49 starters in the first round, 11 to advance to the jump-off, and five double clear rounds. Richard Spooner (USA) was first to go aboard his own Chivas Z, and threw down the gauntlet with a speedy round in 42.03 seconds. Todd Minikus and Two Swans Farm’s Babalou 41 were faster in 40.98 seconds to take over the lead. Georgina Bloomberg (USA) and Gotham Enterprizes’ Lilli followed with a steady clear round in 49.72 seconds to eventually place fifth. Conor Swail (IRL) returned with a clear in 45.65 seconds to place fourth aboard Grand Cru vd Vijf Eiken, owned by Vanessa Mannix. Last to go, McLain Ward and Sagamore Farm’s Rothchild laid it all on the line in the winning time of 40.89. To earn the winner’s share of $70,000 and defend his title as returning champion, Ward knew that he would have to take big risks. He had seen Eric Lamaze slip in the tight rollback to the second to last jump and have it down, but he took his chances and turned tighter. Despite his own slip there, Rothchild gave it his all to clear the final obstacles. “Todd set a hell of a jump-off round,” Ward noted. “I did not need to see it. I knew what the time was and I had seen Spooner. I knew I had to do the best I could. I was a little bit lucky at the second to last, but my horse scrambled over it. Then there was nothing really to lose to the last and it worked out.” “I did notice Eric slip; it was hard not to notice,” Ward detailed. “I always think in that situation, especially a competition of this caliber, you cannot make the choice to then go wide. It is really not an option to go wide because then you lose, so I knew I was going to try to turn. I also slipped a little bit, but I got away with it and then I was lucky to pick up on a good distance to the last. The horse really came through strong to the last fence because he had helped me out a little bit. It was a hard question to ask him.” Ward and Rothchild, a 14-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding (Artos x Elegant de L’Ile), were recently named to the U.S. team for the Pan American Games in July. With that on the horizon, as well as the chance to earn back-to-back victories in the grand prix, the rider was hoping for a good result.
