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.
“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.
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