McLain Ward on Contagious won the $215,000 Grand Prix at WEF after winning the WEF Challenge
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- By Staff Writers
WELLINGTON, Fla.--U.S. Olympic team gold medalist Mclain Ward on Contagious won his second feature of the week in the $215,000 CSI4* Grand Prix on Saturday, March 16 during ‘Saturday Night Lights’ at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Contagious was also his mount when he won a team silver at the Tokyo Olympics and most recently team gold at the Pan American Games in Chile last summer.
Ward had also won the WEF Challenge Cup on Thursday on First Lady, and he is the first rider this year to win both the Challenge Cup and the Grand Prix in the same week.
“Contagious has been a great partner and I’m very grateful to Beachwood and Lise Revers for having the horse be with me for his whole career," said Ward. "He's getting older now and it’s a little more work, but he's got a huge heart.
“He's had a bit of four fault-itis here in Florida; two great grand prix with one down, but I felt that he'd jump well tonight. It was a very hot night and a quick turnaround for us,”said Ward, who jumped last in both rounds, with only three in the jump-off . “I only jumped three jumps in the schooling area because I didn't want to let him bottom out. He dug in deep and we were lucky to go last.”