Wesley Ward | Horse Racing Free Tips

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 main track Apr. 20. Ward pronounced himself pleased with the half-mile move from American Rascal (:50 flat), whose workmate Fandom (GB) (Showcasing) went the same distance in :49 3/5. The latter won his maiden on his Apr. 27 bow by 6 3/4 lengths.

“Julio [Garcia] was on him,” Ward said about American Rascal. “I wanted him to work nice and relaxed. Today was an ultra-impressive workout. To look at this horse, he's all speed. He looks like a running back: muscles on muscles, very compact. Just excited to see the next couple of works here. As long as all goes well, we're heading to the [June 22 G2] Norfolk [S.] and we're really excited about it.”

Fandom's Royal Ascot target has yet to be determined.

'TDN Rising Stars' Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) and Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag), each exiting Keeneland stakes victories and each set to make a second Royal Ascot appearance, breezed four furlongs in company in :50.40. Twilight Gleaming, second in the 2021 G2 Queen Mary S., won the Giant's Causeway S. in April and runs in the June 20 G1 King's Stand S., while Love Reigns was a solid fourth in last year's Queen Mary. This year's FanDuel Limestone S. winner is possible for the age-restricted G1 Commonwealth Cup June 23.

“Those were two nice works as well,” Ward said. “Julio [on Twilight Gleaming] broke off quite a bit behind Love Reigns and made up the ground down the lane, just comfortably. They finished together at the wire.”

Ward is also likely to be represented by Three Chimneys Farm's Bundchen (Gun Runner), who missed by a nose on Keeneland unveiling Apr. 28 and who worked in the company of the GI Jaipur S.-bound Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile). Candymaker (Twirling Candy), a debut winner sprinting on turf at Horseshoe Indianapolis May 22, rounds out the Ward team.

Turf works at Keeneland are scheduled for the next two Fridays. Ward said his Royal Ascot squad would depart Indianapolis June 14 on a direct flight to London Stansted Airport. They will spend several days at nearby Chelmsford Racecourse before moving to Ascot.

Ward said Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Joel Rosario will have Royal Ascot mounts on the horses they have been riding.

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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, he once again visited the winner's circle, this time after a 5 length-victory.

Off as the 5-2 co-second choice here, the Wesley Ward trainee was under a tight hold down the backstretch as a trio vied for the lead. Rounding the far turn, Eye Witness made his move to the outside, swept by them all and staved off a final push from Inflation Nation (Ire) (Speightstown) by a head at the wire.

“I didn't want to take the momentum away from him, and I felt like I probably moved a little sooner than I wanted to, but with the soft ground, sometimes if you stop the momentum, it's very hard to get it back,” Eye Witness's jockey, Jose Ortiz said. “I almost paid the price in the end, but I'm just glad we held on.”

Out of a female family which includes GII Swale S. hero Sharp Humor (Distorted Humor), the winner is a half-brother to SW More Mischief (Into Mischief). His dam is responsible for a 2-year-old filly by Practical Joke, who sold to Scott and Evan Dilworth for $220,000 at the '21 Fasig-Tipton Fall sale before she RND'd for $185,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearling sale last year, and also a yearling filly by Game Winner.

PARADISE CREEK S., $150,000, Belmont, 5-20, 3yo, 7fT, 1:25.32,
yl.
1–EYE WITNESS, 120, c, 3, by City of Light
1st Dam: Gracilia, by Mr. Greeley
2nd Dam: Bellona, by Hansel
3rd Dam: Basoof, by Believe It
($235,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $650,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor; B-Anlyn Farms (NY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $205,740. *1/2 to More Mischief (Into Mischief), SW, $255,493.
2–Inflation Nation (Ire), 118, c, 3, Speightstown–Urban Ball (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (58,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT; $100,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Louis Lazzinnaro LLC and Michael Dubb; B-Yeguada Centurion S.L. (IRE); T-Christophe Clement. $30,000.
3–Vacation Dance, 120, c, 3, The Lieutenant–Matinee Express, by Zensational. ($45,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT; $140,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSMAR; $90,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Sleeping Giant Stables, LLC, America's Pastime Stables and KimDon Racing, LLC; B-Harry Landry & James Hogan (NY); T-John C. Kimmel. $18,000.
Margins: HD, 5HF, 5 3/4. Odds: 2.85, 2.40, 12.30.
Also Ran: Hey Eugene, Joey Freshwater, Son of a Birch, Charging,
Devils Only Friend. Scratched: Golden Nugget.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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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 family Grade I winners like third dam Easy Now (Danzig) and her half-brother, Easy Goer (Alydar).

Another filly with a perfect record is the WinStar-bred and Juddmonte-owned Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief) from the barn of Brad Cox. She comes out of the same sale and went for the same price as her rival here, but her debut victory came under the Twin Spires late in her juvenile campaign when she won by 4 1/2 lengths before winning the Letellier Memorial S. Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds.

Opposing them is a more experienced layoff runner from trainer Larry Rivelli's shedrow with Jareth Loveberry aboard. Back to Ohio (Midshipman) sold last year for $385,000 at the OBS April sale and broke her maiden during the summer at Presque Isle Downs. She then proceeded to win three of her next four races in minor stakes along the Ohio-Pennsylvania circuit with the last coming around two turns Oct. 29 in the Best of Ohio John W. Galbreath S. at Mahoning Valley by 7 1/4 lengths. TJCIS PPS

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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 Mermaid was the only rival to give chase but was always second best as Crimson Advocate cruised home alone to win by daylight. The final time for the five-furlong sprint was :56.25, over a second faster than the colt's division earlier in the day. With the win, she earned an automatic start into one of the six 2-year-old races at this year's Royal Ascot meet happening from Jun. 20-24 and her connections also earned a $25,000 travel stipend.

“We really liked her going into the race up there,” said winning trainer George Weaver. “I expected her to be on the lead or close to it, but she was green. We put some blinkers on her today and she broke sharp and looked good the whole way.”

Out of a half-sister to the dam of champion 2-year-old filly Caledonia Road (Quality Road) and MGSW Officiating (Blame), Crimson Advocate also calls both GISW Hymn Book (Arch) and GISW Data Link (War Front) as members of her family. Her only younger sibling is a newborn colt by Leinster. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ROYAL PALM JUVENILE FILLIES S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 5-13,
2yo, f, 5fT, :56.25, fm.
1–CRIMSON ADVOCATE, 118, f, 2, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Citizen Advocate (MSW & GSP, $327,450), by
                                Proud Citizen
                2nd Dam: Twilight Service, by Horse Chestnut (Saf)
                3rd Dam: Sunset Service, by Deputy Minister
($100,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-R. A. Hill Stable, Swinbank Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds, RAP Racing, Chris Mara, BlackRidge Stables LLC and Amy E. Dunne; B-Whitehall Lane Farm (KY); T-George Weaver; J-Edwin Gonzalez. $58,280. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $65,580.
2–Ocean Mermaid (GB), 118, f, 2, Kingman (GB)–Sparkling Surf
(GB), by Frankel (GB). (210,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-P. Winkworth (GB); T-Wesley A. Ward. $18,800.
3–The Myth, 118, f, 2, The Factor–Honey Trap, by Medaglia d'Oro. ($210,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Gary Barber, and D. J. Stable LLC; B-Hickstead Farm (FL); T-Mark E. Casse. $9,400.
Margins: 3HF, 5 3/4, HF. Odds: 3.70, 0.80, 13.30.
Also Ran: My Sweetheart Dani-(DH), Turf Rocket-(DH), Kiss, Bucchera, She Has Class, Scootaloo, Fumblerooski, Girvin Star.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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