Ward did what he does best, and First Lady proved once again why she is a weapon.
McLain Ward (USA), former world No. 1, current No. 3 in the Tu Mundo Ecuestre Pan American Show Jumping Ranking and Olympic medallist, claimed the $62,480 John Deere CSI3* Welcome Stake at the 2026 HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour in Saugerties, New York, designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER) with 28 combinations on course, 8 qualifiers for the jump-off and 7 returning. Ward crossed the finish in 41.480 seconds, nearly two seconds faster than the previous leading time, to take the win. “She’s a weapon. She has been incredible all season, and now, really, incredible for a number of seasons.”
First Lady is a 13-year-old bay OS mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos), owned by Robin Cleary Parsky, a horse that Ward knows inside out and that delivered once again at the crucial moment.
Mark Bluman (ISR) had taken the provisional lead with Genial de B’Neville, a 10-year-old black SF stallion (Kapitol d’Argonne x Talent Platiere) owned by Luja LLC, clocking 43.260 seconds, but Ward snatched the victory away. Bluman finished second. Brian Moggre (USA), who had opened the jump-off with a solid 44.190 seconds aboard MTM Vivre le Reve, a 17-year-old Westphalian gelding (Ustinov x Chello II) owned by Major Wager LLC, completed the podium in third.
Beat Mandli (SUI) finished fourth with Qoachella, a 10-year-old bay BWP mare (Mosito van het Hellehof x Ferro) owned by Grant Road Partners LLC, in 46.370 seconds. Catherine Tyree Flores (USA) rounded out the Top 5 with Kadans, an 11-year-old grey KWPN gelding (Quidam de Revel x Carthago) owned by Catherine Tyree LLC, in 48.190 seconds.
Latin & Pan American Presence
A victory for McLain Ward (USA), No. 3 in the Tu Mundo Ecuestre Pan American Show Jumping Ranking. Brian Moggre (USA) third and Catherine Tyree Flores (USA) fifth among the top Pan American performers. Pablo Mejía (COL) was the top Latin finisher in twenty-second place.
Top 5 Results — $62,480 John Deere CSI3* Welcome Stake | 2026 HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour — Final Week
| Pos. | Athlete | Horse | R1 | Jump-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLain Ward (USA) 🇺🇸 | First Lady | 0 | 0 / 41.480 |
| 2 | Mark Bluman (ISR) 🇮🇱 | Genial de B’Neville | 0 | 0 / 43.260 |
| 3 | Brian Moggre (USA) 🇺🇸 | MTM Vivre le Reve | 0 | 0 / 44.190 |
| 4 | Beat Mandli (SUI) 🇨🇭 | Qoachella | 0 | 0 / 46.370 |
| 5 | Catherine Tyree Flores (USA) 🇺🇸 | Kadans | 0 | 0 / 48.190 |
