Thursday's Devon Grand Prix to feature top international riders and horses

Athletes in the Devon Horse Show's Sapphire Grand Prix, now a Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) four-star-ranked event, will be up against top talent in this year's competition. New for the 120th Devon Horse Show is a $225,000 prize, an increase of $125,000 from last year.

The Grand Prix is set for 8 p.m. Thursday. While the race won't directly help anyone qualify for the Olympics, it is to feature McLain Ward, an Olympian who is on the short list to compete in the 2016 games in Brazil.

As of early this week, Ward was set to bring Rothchild, the horse with whom he won the Devon Grand Prix in 2013 and the Pan-American Games gold medal in 2015. Ward will also have another horse on hand, Tina De Boheme, who won the $130,000 Empire State Grand Prix in North Salem, N.Y., last month.

He is to go up against Scott Keach, an Australian Olympian who is scheduled to compete in the summer Olympics. In February, Keach won the FEI City of Ocala Grand Prix, a prestigious international event.

Others to watch include Kevin Babington, an Irish rider and trainer based in Gwynedd Valley who has competed in the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games, and Paul O'Shea, who won this Devon event in 2014.

The Grand Prix will also feature young up-and-coming riders Victoria Colvin, who won three of the four national finals, and Ali Wolff, who represented the United States at a recent Nations Cup event. Also, Aaron Vale is on a hot streak after two successful weeks in Kentucky.

The Main Line horse show began last week and is to run through Sunday. The other two FEI-ranked events are the $50,000 Devon Welcome Stake, held Tuesday, and the $40,000 Devon International Speed Stake, held Wednesday.

The lineup of horses competing in the Grand Prix could change before Thursday night.