One-Two Finish for Morgan Ward in $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby at HITS Ocala

Ocala, Fla. – March 4, 2023 – The always consistent Comissario notched another victory at HITS Ocala, garnering Saturday’s $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby with Morgan Ward in the irons. Competing under the lights in the Main Hunter ring, top horses and riders gathered to compete for valuable points and prize money. It was a wire-to-wire victory for Ward and her veteran mount Comissario, locking in two impressive scores of 90 and 89 to lead the lap of honor. Ward also took home the red rosette with her second mount, Cashmero, to cap off a winning week, while Ehrin Rittmueller and Hendricks rounded out the top three.

“Comissario is usually very consistent,” expressed Ward after her win. “I am very thrilled with how great this winter has been going with him, so I'm very happy with him.”

Morgan Ward and Comissario. Photo by: ESI Photography

Brian Post welcomed horses for the classic round with beautiful, natural fences that included four high options and utilized the expansive ring for riders to show off their mounts. The top 12 were invited to return for the handy round, beginning over a high-option vertical before galloping to a high-option oxer. Then, they continued through the course, which included a trot fence and the final high option set separately for one final test.

Ward was the last to return during the handy after scoring a 90 during the first round. She and Comissario wowed the judges once again with a tight turn to the trot fence and a beautiful hand gallop to the final oxer. They were rewarded with a score of 89 for a two-round total of 179.

Entering the handy round last, Ward had only herself to beat after initially taking the lead with Cashmero earlier in the class. The duo was ranked second after the first round with a score of 88, maintaining their position with another consistent round that scored a matching 88 for a total of 176 points for the second-place honors.

Morgan Ward and Cashmero. Photo by: ESI Photography

“Today, for the handy round, I was coming back first and second on both my horses,” explained Ward. “I just wanted to have a smooth round, be as handy as possible, and show off a little hand gallop to the last jump to maintain our positions.”

Ward has known that the derbies were the calling for Comissario the moment she started riding him when she was just 16 years old. “We had him as a derby horse and he just loved it from day one,” she smiled. “It's pretty awesome. I can just pull him out for only this class every single week, and that's all he does.”

Cashmero is Ward’s sister’s horse, but with her sister away for the week, it allowed Ward to compete with him in Saturday’s main event. “He is pretty consistent like Comissario,” she noted, “He usually performs unbelievably and he jumps fantastic everywhere you put him. He needs a little bit more of a supportive ride than Comissario. I can just leave Comissario be, but Cashmero likes when he you hold his hand a little bit.”

The derby events at HITS Ocala have been a weekly highlight for Ward, who concluded, “It’s fantastic to have the National Derbys as well as the International USHJA derbies [at HITS]. It's a great program.”

The evening concluded with Ehrin Rittmueller and Hendricks in the third place position, just two points behind Cashmero after earning scores of 84 and 90 for a total score of 174.

Ehrin Rittmueller and Hendricks. Photo by: ESI Photography

Hunter action at the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit will continue next week with the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, as well as the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix. Horses and riders hoping to make their derby debuts will have the opportunity to showcase their skills during the Post Time 2'6" and 2’ Hunter Derbies. Top horses and riders should mark their calendars today for the next $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, which will be held during Week 9 at Post Time Farm. For more information visit the horse show office or www.hitsshows.com.