By Bill Finley
Wesley Ward knew his filly Pulstar (Kantharos) was fast but did she have the stamina to win Saturday's sixth at Saratoga, a maiden race that came off the turf and was run at 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt? The answer is yes, but just barely.
Like so many Ward-trained 2-year-olds, Pulstar shot out of the gate and grabbed a two-length lead down the backstretch. In mid-stretch she was still two in front, but the Mark Casse-trained Delightful Darling (Flameaway)was bearing down on her. The pair were basically on even terms at the wire, but the bob of the head went Pulstar's way.
“I'm glad this race wasn't run at 5 1/2 furlongs plus a jump. If so, I'm not sure she would have won,” Ward said.
Ward, who excels with sprinters on both surfaces, had no problem with the race coming off the grass.
“I was happy that it came off the turf,” he said. “I was worried that it was going to dry out and be just like a regular track. She's got some distance issues. She's a real small filly and that is the reason I tried her on the grass the first time. Sometimes, horses like her will go a little bit longer on the grass.”
Wesley Ward celebrates a Pulstar win | Sarah Andrew
Ward believes she improved from her first race, a second-place finish in a Churchill maiden.
“She got a lot out of that last race where she was beaten a head,” he said. “It moved her forward fitness-wise and experience-wise” he said. “All those factors came together today.”
Pulsar is owned by and was bred by Roy and Gretchen Jackson of Lael Stable.
The plan going forward, Ward said, was to try to find turf races at five furlongs.
“I told Doug Cauthen, who is the stable manager for the Jacksons, that I think she's really better at 5 than 5 1/2 on the grass. We'll get a work or two into her on grass and hopefully we can find some spots on the turf for her.”
Joel Rosario rode the winner, who paid $6.40. The running time was 1:05.26.
6th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-12, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:05.26, my, nose.
PULSTAR (f, 2, Kantharos–Bellerue, by Quality Road), beaten just a head on debut June 6 at Churchill, came back for a front-running thriller at the Spa Saturday. The off-the-board favorite in that same Churchill debut, Spa Prospector (Authentic), also returned Saturday at Saratoga just four races earlier on the same card to win convincingly.
In keeping with the classic Wesley Ward trainee style despite breaking outwards, Pulstar was quick out of the gate Saturday and shot straight to the front. Favored at 2-1, the chestnut put distance on the field early as she motored through a :22.54 first quarter. The Lael Stables homebred held her advantage through the turn even as her rivals started closing in. After registering a half in :46.12, Pulstar ran a bit erratically and greenly down the lane as Delightful Darling (Flameaway), who was second throughout, dove to the rail in a measured attack. The two finished in tandem, with the photo finish camera giving the nose nod to Pulstar.
Bellerue, the winner's dam, has a yearling filly by Practical Joke and a May 7-foaled colt by Nyquist. Bellerue is out of MGSW Belle Cherie (Belong to Me) from the same family as MGISW and 2007 $4-million Fasig-Tipton buy Octave (Unbridled's Song). Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $79,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Lael Stables; B-M. Roy Jackson (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. @JillWilliamsTDN
Pulstar graduates at second asking in R6 at Saratoga under @jrosariojockey for trainer Wesley Ward! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/vT115tcOpY
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) July 12, 2025
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
