“To be honest, I was concerned about the three riders coming behind me (Mark Bluman, Darragh Kenny and Alessandra Volpi),” Ward said. “I knew we had to lay down a good round with those three coming behind us and make them chase the time. Contagious has been a longtime partner of mine and is a very fast horse, and I’m so grateful to Beechwood Stables for my partnership with him.” 

Two-time Olympic veteran Samuel Parot (CHI) finished in second place with Chrystal Blue (Chacco-Blue), his and Dolores Funes’ 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding, tripping the timers in 40.72 seconds. The USA’s Adrienne Sternlicht earned third for her 41.42-second time aboard Los Angeles De La Cense (Los Angeles), Starlight Farms 1 LLC’s 10-year-old Westphalian stallion.

Result