Mclain Ward and First Lady Lead the Way in the $62,480 John Deere CSI3* Welcome During the HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour
International show jumping competition started off the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium on Friday, July 31, with a bang in the form of the $62,480 John Deere CSI3* Welcome. Part of the third and final week of the 2026 HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour™, the hugely popular series has featured a weekly CSI3* division as well as a coveted World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation during the second week. With July coming to a close, riders are eager to tally final world ranking points to close out the month and jump into August on a high note. At the class’s completion, it was a win for Mclain Ward (USA), as the world number 13 claimed the top spot with the aptly named First Lady.
The impressive field of athletes on the start list included several Olympians and numerous other top contenders representing six nations: Colombia, Egypt, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland, and the United States. It was FEI Level 4 course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER) that was tasked with setting the track for the 28 horse-and-rider combinations. First in the arena, Brian Moggre (USA) showed everyone how it is done with a faultless effort aboard his trusted partner MTM Vivre le Reve, the 17-year-old Westphalian gelding (Ustinov x Chello II) owned by Major Wager LLC. Though Moggre made it look simple, Petersen Jr.’s test proved to be a worthy one, as rails fell and several riders ticked just over the time allowed of 82 seconds. Ultimately, seven other duos jumped clear to join Moggre in the jump-off and bring the total to eight.
Moggre once again led off across the short course and once again delivered the prized clear round, setting the standard in 44.190 seconds. That put the pressure on the remaining challengers, and it was not an easy feat to match. Moggre sat comfortably in the provisional pole position until Mark Bluman (ISR) entered the arena. Bluman then found himself in familiar territory as he raced through the timers in 43.260 seconds with Genial de B’Neville, the 10-year-old Selle Français stallion (Kapitol D’Argonne x Talent Platiere) owned by Luja LLC, to take over the lead.
Of course, it is never over until it is over, and with Ward in the mix, you can never be too relaxed. Ward did what he does best and stepped on the gas with First Lady, the 13-year-old Oldenburg mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos) owned by Robin Cleary Parsky, shaving almost two seconds off the previously winning time to stop the clock in an astounding 41.480 seconds for the victory. Bluman finished in the runner-up position, while Moggre’s time held up to complete the top three in third.
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