This combination arrive here after a strong showing at CHIO Aachen in Germany as their final event prior to Olympic team selection, finishing second in the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen CSIO5*. The duo will be contesting their first Olympics together.
MCLAIN WARD ILEX
McLain was introduced to riding before he could walk. In 1990, he became the youngest rider ever to win both the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Medal Finals and the USET Talent Search at age 14. After turning pro, he quickly became the youngest rider to reach the $1 million mark in earnings in 1999, at the age of 24. This week he will become a six-time Olympian. He was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. teams in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 with Sapphire. With HH Azur, he was part of the U.S. team that took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ward was also a team silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games riding Contagious.
Nickname: Ilex Owner: Bonne Chance Farm & McLain Ward Groom: Virginie Casterman Gender: Gelding Breed: KWPN Disciplines: Jumping
Ilex joined McLain Ward's team at Castle Hill in January 2024 after beginning his FEI career with Brazilian rider Fabio Leivas da Costa. It has gone well, including a huge performance last time out at CHIO Aachen where they finished second in the Grand Prix.
Sire: Baltic VDL Dam: Calendula Foal Date: 6/8/2013
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