Here is the video, in case anyone is still looking for it:
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In addition to all their success, it’s impressive the way McLain and his team keep a lot of these horses competitive at the top level for a very long time. I think it was almost 6 years ago he won the World Cup Finals with this same horse. Plus they kept Sapphire winning at the highest level for eight years to get the team gold medal at two consecutive Olympics.
That would be a long time to keep a children’s hunter competitive, much less a horse at the top of the sport. Huge props to them!
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It didn’t help that they changed cameras at the wrong moment, but I saw it as him contemplating leaving an extra one out and galloping to the base instead. Miss Annie had to work a little extra to prepare for takeoff as she sent her boots flying, but I don’t think it was a chip.
The entire class and jump off was (and is) available on USEF network. Including the retirement nod for Clooney.
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McLain talks about it here: https://www.worldofshowjumping.com/Rolex-Grand-Slam-events/This-is-the-dream-Ward-and-the-wonderful-HH-Azur-win-the-Rolex-Grand-Prix-of-Geneva.html
For some reason I can’t copy and paste from the website text, but he basically says he committed to the eight in the last line, pushed for it and didn’t chicken out, but the more he pushed for it the more Annie backed off. She chickened out a bit, and he was astonished she kept the fence up.
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Last night I found a video of the Rolex Aachen Grand Prix jump-off. HH Azur was first to go. They laid down a nice round, until the last line. McLain rode it very similarly: gallop down to the final oxer on a long one, pushing for take-off. Azur did the long one, but swam through the jump. She didn’t like that!
That probably explains McLain’s remarks… he got lucky this time when she saved it and jumped the last clean.
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That was a fantastic class, and also a fantastic amount of prize money. Holy cow. Good for him!!
