After the Kentucky Derby last month, the world was privy to some of the finest geldings that are currently in the running. Many of these 3-year-old thoroughbreds, including the winner Mage, might be up for the Paris Olympics next year. There is, however, another contender who is showing some serious spark going into the Paris Olympics. Quimi Del Maset and his 47-year-old equestrian McLain Ward just won a major competition in Virginia. They are now one of the hottest prospects in all 3 disciplines of equestrian at the Olympics.

The Uppervile Jumper Classic is the oldest horse-riding show in the USA. As the 170th edition was recently concluded, Quimi Del Maset was announced as the champion, raising hopes for what’s next. This victory is especially sweet, given that the tournament was almost derailed due to the massive Canadian Wildfires.

Equestrian McLain Ward lapped up his opportunity when it arrived

A Facebook post by The Chronicle of the Horse Goes, “After being disrupted earlier in the week by the poor air quality due to Canadian wildfires, the nation’s oldest horse show concluded its 170th edition with one of the sport’s top riders and an up-and-coming new horse winning the featured grand prix”. It also attached a link to its own website detailing his win and a thumbnail image of Quimi Del Maset jumping over a log fence.

The Canadian Wildfires were big news for a while, where it had turned the skies of many cities, including New York, into a purple-orange haze. Bill Gates’s daughter Jennifer Gates too raised concerns about the increased pollution in NYC. This very pollution also almost stopped the Upperville Jumper Classic from commencing this year. But once it did, it struck gold for Ward and his thoroughbred.

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It was the 170th edition of the contest in Virginia and Del Maset won $226,000 in prizes. Ward himself purchased him when he was on the lookout for a horse for the Paris Olympics. In that regard, Del Maset is coming along well.

Quimi Del Maset’s win put him in the driver’s seat before the Paris Olympics

As many as 9 countries and 30 participants were present at Upperville’s FEI track and it proved to be a successful event. It was designed by Nick Granat in his debut attempt and served justifiably well for all competitors. Ward won the race by clocking in at 37.7 seconds, which was ahead of Tiffany Foster aboard Figor with 38.31 seconds.

Quimi Del Maset, the 9-year-old Sporthorse gelding from Spain, is owned by the Sport Four USA LLC group. While there is still a year left before the Paris Olympics, expectations are already high from Del Maset now. The 2024 Olympics also promises to recognize retired thoroughbred racehorses, as opposed to ‘breeding unknown’, which it was previously known by. This raises the stakes for the final events and puts Quimi Del Maset in stiff competition with other Hanoverian horses and more.

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