Wesley Ward

Sam's Treasure Switches to Dirt and Romps in Saratoga Maiden

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra As he often does with his 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward started Sam's Treasure (Munnings) off in a grass race, in this case a five-furlong maiden on May 11 at Belmont. She finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner--Cynane (Omaha Beach) had the distinction of being her sire's first winner and made an unfruitful trip to Royal Ascot--but there was nothing about the performance to suggest that she could develop into a top horse. Maybe Ward should have been thinking dirt all along. In...

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Into Mischief's Daring Do Wins Her First Stakes In Pea Patch

Daring Do (Into Mischief) broke her maiden in early March at Turfway Park in her second career race and then switched to Keeneland's turf where she won by a head to clear the next condition. Last seen running third by a length behind stablemate Kaufymaker (Jimmy Creed) against optional claimers May 28 at Churchill Downs, the 15-8 second choice here dropped back to settle into fourth up the backstretch. Chasing the pace set by favorite American Apple (American Pharoah) around the far turn, the bay filly hugged the fence, tipped...

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Ward Hit With 15-Day Suspension For Monmouth Positives

Trainer Wesley Ward has begun serving a 15-day suspension after a horse he trained tested positive for the substances naproxen and metformin following a July 15, 2022, race at Monmouth. Ward's suspension began June 23 and ends July 7. He was also fined $2,000. The Paulick Report was first with the story. The infraction occurred in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on the turf with the gelding Insanity It Seems (Tale of the Cat), who won by 2 1/4 lengths. The horse, who is also owned by Ward, has...

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Thursday Insights: High-Priced Colts Do Battle At Ellis

2nd-ELP, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:14 p.m. Two high-priced maidens will kick off their careers at Ellis Park Thursday. BC Stables paid $1.35 million for DAILY GRIND (Medaglia d'Oro) at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the bay colt is out of SW Walk Close (Tapit), who also produced his full-brother Anneau d'Or, second-place finisher in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Lambo (Uncle Mo), trained by Steve Asmussen, brought $950,000 from the Heiligbrodts and Jackpot Farm at OBS March after posting a :10 flat...

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Plays And Lays: Who Are The Juveniles To Side With And Against At Ascot?

It never ceases to amaze how much debate the two-year-old races at Royal Ascot generate each year. A quick scan on racing Twitter over the past few days confirmed as much.  For all the fascinating puzzles that the royal meeting will serve up this week, including whether Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) can cope with Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the St James's Palace, what will reign supreme in the Prince Of Wales's or if any of the Australian sprinters can land a blow in the King's Stand S., it's the...

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American Fingerprints on British-Trained Royal Ascot-Bound Inquisitively

Typically, the names Sangster, Manton, Tattersalls, and British-bred runner at Windsor don't scream `American connections,' but in the case of Inquisitively (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), peel back the onion a bit and you'll find more than a few stars and stripes among the connections. Inquisitively, a barely-beaten second at Windsor in his May 29 debut, is entered in Wednesday's Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, and will carry his owners' hopes as well as a bit of history on his back. Inquisitively sold for 40,000gns euros at the 2022 Tattersalls October...

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'We Have Come Here to Win': Internationals Take on Ascot

NEWMARKET, UK-- They've arrived. The young, the fast, the young and fast. From America, Australia, and Sweden, members of the international contingent for this year's Royal Ascot are now safely ensconced in temporary lodgings, their presence in the UK adding an extra sparkle to what is always one of the most special weeks of the sporting year.  Cannonball (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}) and Artorius (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) have separate sprint engagements, in the G1 King's Stand S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. respectively, and with no fear of...

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Ward Works Ascot-Bound Squad at Keeneland

Looking to build on his 12 victories at Royal Ascot, trainer Wesley Ward sent out several horses with intended engagements at the prestigious meeting--all campaigned by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables--for Friday morning breezes over the Keeneland turf course. Making his first appearance on the grass was American Rascal (Curlin), the first foal out of multiple Royal Ascot winner and Cartier Award-winning 2-year-old filly of 2016 Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), who was accorded 'TDN Rising Star' status for his towering 10 1/4-length victory in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden over the Keeneland...

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Eye Witness Bears Down To Win Belmont's Paradise Creek S.

Eye Witness (City of Light) kept his win streak intact with a victory over the soaked turf at Belmont on Saturday afternoon in the Paradise Creek S. After a debut third last fall against state bred company on the grass during the Belmont at the Big A meet, the bay colt went to the sidelines before coming back to his trainer's base at Turfway where he broke his maiden with a front-running score Jan. 1 by 1 3/4 lengths. Stepping up in class in the Animal Kingdom S. in Florence,...

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Friday Insights: Pair Of Undefeated Fillies Square Off

2nd-CD, $134K, OC, 3yo, f, 6f, 6:28 p.m. A pair of fillies will look to stay unbeaten in their third career starts at Churchill Downs on Friday evening. 'TDN Rising Star' SUNDAY SHOES (Pioneerof the Nile) came from off the pace breaking her maiden sprinting at Turfway Park Feb. 15, then got up by 3/4 of a length in Florence Apr. 1 in the Serena's Song S. over next-out stakes winner Jill Jitterbug (Cross Traffic). The $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale purchase trained by Wesley Ward counts among her female...

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Nyquist's Crimson Advocate Takes Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies S.

Trainer George Weaver booked a traveling companion for his earlier Royal Palm Juvenile winner No Nay Mets as Crimson Advocate went gate-to-wire in the filly's division, stamping her own ticket to next month's Royal Ascot meet. One of the few fillies in the field with prior experience--a third sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 26--Crimson Advocate got the best break of the field and never gave the others a chance, opening up a length in the first furlong and never letting anyone get a step closer. Wesley Ward's Ocean...

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Thursday's Insights: $700k Munnings Daughter Debuts

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 3:05 p.m. Belmont Park opens the week with a maiden sprint over the grass which includes $700,000 FTSAUG buy SAM'S TREASURE (Munnings). The Wesley Ward trainee with Irad Ortiz in the irons, counts second dam MSW Treasured Up (Medaglia d'Oro) and her half-sister GSW Choctaw Nation (Louis Quatorze) in her family. Out of Ward's stable also comes a daughter out of Freshman Sire Advertise (GB), who was a multiple Group 1 turf sprinter in Europe. Chitarra (Ire), hammered down for 300,000 guineas at the...

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