Wesley Ward

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 1:00 p.m. As he is prone to do, Wesley Ward will send members of his stable to Belmont--this time a pair of juveniles--who have been working at his home base at Keeneland. The 4-5 morning line favorite is PRINCESA CELINA (Quality Road), who RNA'd at the Fasig-Tipton November sale in 2021 for $545,000, and is out of dam Lastofthsummerwine (Sky Mesa). She produced a trio of solid earners in GSW Conquest Panthera (Kitten's Joy) and his full-brother, GSP Maniacal, plus GSW Happy Like A...

The 2-year-old Commissioner Dan (Commissioner) (hip 120), who captured his debut Wednesday and was supplemented to the sale on Thursday, topped the Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale Sunday in Lexington with a final bid of $500,000 from Pedro Lanz, bidding on behalf of the Saudi Arabia-based KAS Stable. Keeneland sold 67 horses Sunday for $6,743,000.  The average of $100,642 rose 9.13% over last year's $92,224, while the median jumped 40% from $50,000 to $70,000. In 2022, 58 horses sold for $5,349,000. "Today was very positive. This is...

Keeneland will host its April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale Sunday, with the first of 121 catalogued lots scheduled to go through the ring at 4 p.m. The auction, which features several offerings who were winners at the track's recently concluded meet, was originally scheduled to be held after the races on the track's final card Friday, but was moved to Sunday to avoid conflict with the final day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. "This year, we have it on Sunday afternoon...

Keeneland concluded its 2023 Spring Meet on Friday following 15 days of racing that generated record all-sources wagering of $224 million, the track said in a release late Friday. All-sources wagering (not including whole-card simulcasting at Keeneland) for the Spring Meet totaled $224,348,745, surpassing the previous record of $219,284,979 set during last year's 15-day Spring Meet. The Spring Meet marks the fifth consecutive season of record wagering at Keeneland, which was boosted by an all-time record Pick 6 handle of $4,788,759 Apr. 21. On-track wagering for the Spring Meet totaled...

2nd-Keeneland, $64,160, Msw, 4-27, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.21, fm, 6 3/4 lengths. FANDOM (GB) (c, 2, Showcasing {GB}--Brogan {GB}, by Pivotal {GB}) took all the money at 3-5 and looked a winner every step of the way, breaking on top from the outside gate and easily clearing the field to keep his face clean up front. Rated through fractions of :22.24 and :46.11, the English-bred colt let room on the rail open up as he drifted out around the turn but no one was close enough to threaten. With only...

2nd-KEE, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:32 p.m. A $700,000 acquisition out of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale last October by Wesley Ward and Three Chimneys Farm, BUNDCHEN (Gun Runner) will look to close out Ward's Keeneland spring meet on a high note with this turf sprint debut. Her dam No More Parties, while unraced herself, is a full-sister to GI Belmont Derby Invitational winner Force The Pass (Speightstown) and from the extended family of MSW & MGISP Wonder Gal (Tiz Wonderful). Joel Rosario gets the call. TJCIS...

5th-KEE, $80k, Msw, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, 3:08 p.m. ET Trainer Wesley Ward debuts another well-meant juvenile firster in this full field of 12. BARBTOURAGE (Into Mischief), a $425,000 FTKOCT yearling purchase by Stonestreet Stables, has posted three straight three-furlong bullets in Lexington, including a :35 flat move (1/14) from the gate Apr. 13. The bay was produced by Velvet Mood (Lonhro {Aus}), a 2-year-old stakes winner at Woodbine and half-sister to GI Frizette S. heroine Wicked Whisper (Liam's Map) and GSW & MGISP Point of Honor (Curlin). She is...

Stonestreet homebred American Rascal (c, 2, Curlin--Lady Aurelia, by Scat Daddy), the first foal out of international superstar and two-time Royal Ascot winner Lady Aurelia, romped on debut in a jaw-dropping 'TDN Rising Star' performance for Wesley Ward over the Keeneland main track Thursday afternoon. A trip to Royal Ascot could be in the cards for the mighty Curlin's 24th 'Rising Star.' "He's a super fast horse," Ward said in the winner's circle on FanDuel TV. "The good thing about running at Ascot is that they go in and out...

A sprint specialist, Twilight Gleaming made her seasonal debut Saturday with a clear win in Keeneland's 5 ½ furlong Giant's Causeway S. The GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint winner from 2021, the Stonestreet-owned 'TDN Rising Star' won two of her four starts last year culminating in a fourth-place effort behind GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) in the GIII Franklin S. at Keeneland Oct. 16. Not seen since, Twilight Gleaning returned to the races with aplomb Saturday as the 5-2 favorite. Sitting pretty outside of Miner's Queen...

Topping a Wesley Ward-trained exacta, Love Reigns got her 3-year-old campaign off on the right foot with a late-charging win in Friday's FanDuel Limestone S. over her preferred 5 1/2-furlong distance. Named 'TDN Rising Star' off a 9 3/4-length romp at first asking over this same track nearly a year ago, the daughter of U S Navy Flag then tried her hand across the pond at Royal Ascot, checking in fourth beaten three lengths in the G2 Queen Mary S. Back in the States and back in the winner's circle...

2nd-Keeneland, $79,350, Msw, 4-12, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.39, ft, 7 1/2 lengths. HIBERNACLE (f, 2, Hootenanny--Searchingforahero, by Officer), installed the 3-2 choice in this career debut, broke alertly from her wide berth but was settled back in third as Unheard (Street Boss) and Happy Baytown) (Runhappy) carved out a :22.32 opening quarter. Picking up the tempo turning for home, the Wesley Ward trainee hit her best stride midstretch, and gained control near the sixteenth pole and ran off to win by a geared-down 7 1/2 lengths. Happy Baytown held...

Everyone's invited, as 2023 Opening Day at Keeneland has arrived. Certainly, there are swollen pools for wagering, the canorous voice of track announcer Kurt Becker, the fine warp and weft of Sunday's best worn mid-week and enough to feast on, even if you don't have the foggiest what's in burgoo. We already know that the Spring meet at the old Keene Farm, hosted by the Association will card its share of tough, competitive fields. Before the 86th running of the $600,000 GI Central Bank Ashland S., spring has not officially...