Mclain Ward Delights His Home Crowd With an Emphatic World Cup

AMERICAN rider McLain Ward has come close several times to winning the World Cup final, and he led wire-to-wire with HH Azur to take the title in Omaha.

- Nancy Jaffer

“I’ve been very close so many times and in one way or another messed it up,” said McLain, who produced five rounds of fault-free jumping here.

“I’ve been a fighter and a digger and grinder my whole career. I try never to give up — I keep working at it and my team works at it,” he commented.

Noting that he has had a legion of supporters behind him who helped his career over the years, he explained that “to try to pull one off for them was very, very important to me. I just took a breath, believed in my horse, had a little luck and it came off. I owe a lot of people thanks.”

The competition in the Century Link Center marked the first time since 1980 that an American had won the cup at home, and it was a fitting way to christen a new venue for the sport. It drew raves for everything from the stabling, warm-up and arena all under one roof to the way the competition was presented. Riders didn’t have to go outside into the city’s rainy weather; their hotel was linked to the arena across the street by a skybridge.