Judy the Beauty Gets Green Light for TCA

Judy the Beauty (Ghostzapper) was confirmed for next Saturday’s GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. after working an easy half-mile over the turf at Keeneland Sunday morning in :50.60. The 6-year-old mare, owned and trained by Wesley Ward, capped her 2014 championship season with a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint. She has made only two starts this term, running a neck second in the May 2 GI Humana Distaff and third in the July 29 GII Honorable Miss S. The TCA, which Judy the Beauty won in 2013, is a Win and You’re In race for the Oct. 31 F/M Sprint.

Ward also sent Wes Welker and Sol Kumin’s Undrafted (Purim) out to work a half-mile in :51.00 over the Keeneland lawn. The 5-year-old, third in last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, captured this summer’s G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and is training towards another tilt at the Turf Sprint.

Also working over the turf for Ward Sunday, Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Sheikh of Sheikhs (Discreetly Mine), a debut winner over the main track at Saratoga Aug. 22, covered five furlongs in 1:02.00. He bested workmate Gaultier (Fr) (Scat Daddy), who was clocked in 1:03.00. Gaultier was third on debut over the lawn at Kentucky Downs Sept. 14.

“I thought all of my horses worked well this morning,” said Ward. “I wanted to see how he would handle the grass,” Ward added of Sheikh of Sheikhs. “I’ll talk with the owner, but he could run in the [Oct. 3 GI Claiborne] Breeders’ Futurity [on dirt] or the [Oct. 4 GIII Dixiana] Bourbon [on grass].”

Both races are next weekend and are Win and You’re In races for the Breeders’ Cup.

Ward’s other workers were The Great War (War Front) and Green Mask (Mizzen Mast), who worked together in :49.00 for a half-mile. The Great War, owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Allen Stable, is expected to run in the Oct. 3 GIII Woodford Presented by Keeneland Select. Green Mask, owned by Almaddah, is being aimed at a possible run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.