SAUGERTIES, N.Y.--McLain Ward on Jofdan Molga M won the $65,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake on Thursday, Sept. 3 at HITS Hudson Valley.

Mclain Ward on Jordan Molga M (Photo by ESI Photography)Over the course set by Bernardo Cabral of Portugal, 10 of the 30 competitors went clean to go on to the ump-off.

 Alesandra Volpi on Madjick, first to go in the jump-off, immediately set the time to beat, clean in 38.660 seconds, which held until Adrienne Sternlicht on Rebelline de Kwakenbeek, shaved just over a full second from Volpi’s time to finish in 37.210 seconds to eventually place second..

Then Ward, despite his leg taking out a directional flag, was clean in 36.130 seconds for the win.

 

FOLLOWING Ward, Olympian Nayel Nassar of Eqypt on Igor van de Wittemoere just edged out Volpi to place third in 38.160 seconds.

“We had a great end of the season in Florida and, unfortunately, he had a little bit of a health setback, so he lost a few months, and this is his third show back now,” said Ward of Jordan Molga M, owned by Michael Smith. “We’re trying to build him up towards the American Gold Cup in a few weeks, so, this is the next step on the journey to get there."

“Adrienne had a great round, and it looked like a quick horse,” he said. “I definitely thought I had a little more stride, though. My horse has a bit of a right drift, so both of those rollbacks to the right played into my hand a bit. I got a little lucky because I hit the flag coming home with my foot, but somehow we curled around it.”

For Ward, the win is a welcome on home turf after competing at the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, just a month ago.

“I get to stay at my own house, which I love,” he said of his time at the HITS Hudson Valley venue. “For those of us that live in the Northeast, this is a brilliant situation. They made incredible renovations here a couple of years ago with the jumps, footing, and management; we have great sport here, but it’s also a wonderful place to bring horses along and develop them.”