McLain Ward and Hillary Dobbs are locked in a tight battle for the Leading Open Jumper title at Devon
May 30, 2025
DEVON, Pa.—With one class left in the Open Jumper division, McLain Ward and Hillary Dobbs are locked in a tight battle for the Leading Open Jumper title, with the lead passing back and forth yesterday.
Dobbs of Sussex, N.J., won the $7,500 NAL Open Jumper afternoon class on Marengo, with Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., second on Redford and Ward of Beford, N.Y., third on Pandoer in a class that scratched down from 13 starters to three because of a storm passing through in the late afternoon.
That gave Dobbs a two point edge over Ward.
Then, in the first class of the evening session, Ward, riding XM, finished first, with Dobbs second on Marengo and Chapot third on Chili Pepper.
That puts Ward up by two points going into tonight’s bonus point $50,000 Idle Dice Stake. And both Dobbs, Leading Rider last year in her first year in the Open Jumper division, and Ward, a two time Olympic Equestrian team gold medalist, a six time Devon Grand Prix champion and once each Devon Leading Rider and Champion, both want that title badly.
For spectators, the good news from yesterday’s storms is that four Amateur Owner classes have been moved to Sunday, starting at 8 a.m., and the Country Fair will be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
So Devon fans will get one more day, and weather is predicted to be beautiful, to enjoy the championship competition, shopping, rides, games and foods for all palates.
Due to flooding storms in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, the Dixon Oval at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair looked more like a shallow lake that a competition arena, so, in the interest of safety of both horse and rider, the majority of the day’s classes were either cancelled or postponed.
But with tractors and squeegees working from 7 a.m. on, the ring became usable by 5 p.m., allowing two of the jumper c lasses scheduled for the day’s performance to be competed, and the evening schedule, which began after the last of the storms had passed, ran pretty much as scheduled.
Erika Pritz of Chicago, Ill., won the Amateur Owner Jumper, time First Jump0ff on her Landessa, in a time of 40.089. Caroline Curcio of West Islip, N.Y., with the only other clean round in the jump-off, finished second in 43.950.
The evening Coaching competition was cancelled, and the Championship, awarded on the basis of points won through the first four days, went to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Waller’s Road Coach, with Harvey Waller of Stockbridge, Mass., as whip. The four-in-hand accumulated 13 points.
This is the Waller’s fourth consecutive Championship at Devon, and the fifth in six years.
Tied for Reserve Champion with 11 points were the four-in-hand of Hon. George A. Weymouth of Chadds Ford, Pa., with Robert Longstaff as whip, and the Road Coach owned by James and Misdee Wrigley of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., with Misdee Wrigley the whip.
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