WARD’S MARE SURPASSES EXPECTATIONS AT ROADTREK

McLain Ward had a feeling he’d be successful in Wednesday’s Roadtrek Cup.

He just didn’t expect HH Callas to rise to the challenge so soon.

In a somewhat surprising result, Ward guided the inexperienced 10-year-old mare to a clear round to capture the opening event of the Spruce Meadows National Tournament.

Their flawless 66.2-second performance on the 1.50-metre course was enough to ward off 17-year-old Lucy Deslauriers aboard the Belgian warmblood named Hester who finished second, while Daniel Bluman finished third on Bacara D Archonfosse.

“She’s done some really nice things,” Ward said of HH Callas. “We hope she continues to do those kind of results, and as we get to know her a little better, hopefully she’ll continue on the upward swing.”

Ward recently purchased HH Callas and, truthfully, he said he was anticipating that kind of performance from his other horse HH Carlos Z.

“I’m still getting to know her a bit, but it was a good start here,” said the Brewster, N.Y. native. “I wasn’t actually thinking 100 per cent to win the class today. I was actually aiming for Carlos to win it … but it’s the first day and everyone’s sleeping a little bit so it’s nice to pick up a good prize.” “We all know we shouldn’t be in 23rd,” said van der Merwe, who next year moves from Wales’ Scarlets to Newcastle Falcons. “We’re a better team than that and we can prove it this summer. Ultimately, it comes down to the players. We have to step up. No more excuses. We need to play our hearts out and get to where we belong.”