By Emma Berry
Wesley Ward has been the greatest international supporter of Royal Ascot in recent years and the American trainer has dispatched a team of seven runners in a bid to extend his record at the meeting of 12 wins to date.
The septet includes G1 Commonwealth Cup contender Outfielder (Speightstown), an imposing individual who was fourth in last season's G1 Prix Morny and has picked up a pair of black-type wins at Turfway Park and Churchill Downs this year.
Outfielder and Ez Tin, the Golden Pal filly who runs in the G2 Norfolk Stakes, had a stretch on Newmarket's July Course on Tuesday.
“Outfielder did not get to come to Royal Ascot last year as he had a little issue with a shin, so the timing was not right, but everything has gone perfect for him this year,” said Ward's assistant trainer Blake Heap. “He is a good-minded horse, so the occasion should be no trouble to him. He knows what is going on.
“Ez Tina is doing very well. She scratched her leg in the swimming pool, which we are keeping an eye on. It has not healed up completely, although it doesn't seem to bother her. Her work yesterday was awesome – she outworked Outfielder. To me, that piece of work would be pretty hard to beat.”
Ward could run up to four fillies in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, including Shining Moment (Golden Pal), Ruiva (Munnings) and the Coolmore-owned Through The Years (No Nay Never), with Fanshell Beach (Corniche) also in contention for the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes.
“Ruiva is a beautiful filly – she has a great head on her. She won on the dirt first time out, but we worked her on the turf at Keeneland alongside Fanshell Beach and they both worked great,” Heap said.
“Ruiva worked with Shining Moment this morning and both fillies breezed well. Shining Moment has had two races and looked real professional last time at Churchill Downs. In her debut at Keeneland, she went fast early with another filly and then Tom Morley's filly [More Champagne] came to beat them.
“I thought Fanshell Beach and Through The Years worked nicely today. They had a little head-to-head, which is what we wanted. Through The Years won great up in New York [at Aqueduct]. One trainer thought their runner in the race was a champion – he was really excited – but she beat them easily.”
Ward also has three-year-old Bacio (Maclean's Music), a recent winner at Churchill Downs, entered for the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes.
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