Ward's Double Digit Raiding Party

Wesley Ward will arrive in Ascot armed with as big a team he has ever brought to the Royal Meeting. Ward will saddle ten horses throughout the week when he bids to improve on his already impressive strike rate at the meeting. He became the first American-based trainer in history to saddle a winner at the Royal meeting when Strike The Tiger (Tiger Ridge) struck gold in the Listed Windsor Castle S. in 2009 and has since added a further three Royal victories to his CV. The trainer's first representative of the week will be G2 Coventry S. candidate Finnegan (Ire) (Unbridled's Song). Beaten into second on his debut at Keeneland, the Coolmore-owned juvenile went one better at Pimlico and is highly rated by Ward.”I think he's going there with a big chance, I really do. He worked well on the dirt, but since we put him on the grass he's just raised it another notch.” 

Assessing some of his other 2-year-old prospects, the trainer said: “I have a really nice filly called Back At The Ranch (Artie Schiller), who was second first time up on the dirt and then won convincingly at Belmont. She's listed for the G3 Albany S.” Ward continued, “I have a nice filly for the G2 Queen Mary S. called Acapulco (Sat Daddy), who the owners paid a considerable amount of money for. She disappointed on her first run at Churchill Downs, but I don't think she handled the track and I have been very happy with how she has breezed on the grass at Keeneland since then.” Last years Listed Windsor Castle S. hero Hootenanny (Quality Road) returns but goes up in Grade for the G1 Commonwealth Cup.”We're aiming for the Commonwealth and it's exciting to be going back to Ascot with him,” said Ward. “He loves the track and out of all the horses we took over last year, he was the one that really thrived.” Ward also confirmed Undrafted (Purim) an intended runner in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S., while Luck Of The Kitten (Kitten's Joy) has the G3 Jersey S. on his agenda.