UPPERVILLE, Va., June 7, 2026 — On Saturday, McLain Ward stepped on the gas to win the $30,000 Salamander Collection Upperville American Standard Grand Prix at the 2026 Upperville Colt & Horse Show, presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™. Riding Michael A. Smith’s Supersox ter Ledonck, Ward secured the victory by a razor-thin .158 seconds over Campbell Brown and HK Horses’ Messini LTD while Devin Ryan finished just 1.2 seconds behind Brown in third place riding his own Novick W.
Only nine of the 36 starters cleanly navigated Tommy Brawley’s track, delivering rounds that showed exactly how much precision the course demanded. Only those nine made it through to the jump‑off, and three more stayed fault‑free over the jumps but picked up time penalties, underscoring how tight the clock really was.
“Supersox arrived in this country a week ago,” explained Ward. “He’s an eight-year-old owned by Mike Smith and he’s a horse we were very excited to acquire to accomplish big goals.”
“I am very excited about his performance today,” said Ward, Brewster, N.Y. “I did a couple of smaller classes this week and he felt confident, so we decided to put him in this 1.45m class and he was brilliant.”
“Supersox reminds me of my great partner Sapphire; he has a very big stride, a lot of scope and is an incredible athlete,” he said of the chestnut Belgian Warmblood. “I think there’s a balance between running a horse too much in the jumpoff and a horse learning to be quick and look for the jumps. I decided to set a pace that I thought was educational, would place well and benefit him for the future; he responded and a couple had a rail down and that was a little bit lucky.”
The $30,000 Upperville American Standard Grand Prix is part of a full week of FEI and national-level jumper competition at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, the oldest horse show in the United States, now in its 173rd year. For full results and livestream access, visit www.upperville.com.
For full show results, schedules, and more information, visit www.upperville.com.
Sponsors of the 2026 Upperville Colt & Horse Show presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™ include Ethel M. Chocolates, Dr. Betsee Parker, Michael Smith, Lugano, The Salamander Collection, B&D Builders, Markel Insurance, Delta Air Lines and the Postage Stamp Farm Foundation.
# # #
About the Upperville Colt & Horse Show
The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, also known as the Upperville Horse Show and UCHS, is the oldest horse show in the U.S. Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with thousands of equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm—the same location as 1853. UCHS is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports local area charities, including the Churches of Upperville Outreach Program. For complete schedules and up-to-the-minute results, visit the website at www.upperville.com.