ROME, Italy--Mclain Ward, riding a horse he  just recently acquired, Imperial HGF, placed second in the 1.55m Loro Piana Trophy, beaten in the jump-off by Stephen Freitas de Barcha of Brazil on Saturday, May 24 in the Piazza di Siena

McLain Ward on Imoerial HBF (Photo by FISEM Atgenziono)From a class of 66, 16 made the jump-off, and de Barcha had the advantage of going after Ward,who had been clean in 36.73.

De Barcha on Dinozo Imperiai Egipcio finished in 34.66 for the win, with Cian O'Connor of Ireland on Fermo third, clean in 36.93.

Imperial is an exciting new horse for Ward.

Ward had ridden Imperial in the Nations Cup the day before and had been one of only five to be double clean.

He delivered that crucial second clean round as last to go, and with that clean round won the class for the U.S.

De Barcha attributed his win in the Loro Piana to a conversation he had had with his hero Ward earlier in the week.

 

"FOR ME, McLain is an idol, and the first day during that class,,I was first,and he did an amazing job and took the victory from me in the Speed," said de Barcha. "Afterwards he said some words to me. We just talked about the sport, about what I'm doing, and he said I'm doing great, and it was such important words to me. I felt honored, I''m young, I'm from Brazil. I did the Pan Ams, I was fifth at the Olympics, but when you hear from your idol some words like this it's so important, and it gives me more determination to keep fighting and to keep trying to be better."

Ward will ride Ilex in the Grand Prix in Rome on Sunday, and then he'll fly back to Pennsylvania to show at the Devon Horse Show.