Wesley Ward

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), off since posting a visually impressive score in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 6, returns to action in Thursday's opening day GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga. Last term's narrow G2 Norfolk S. runner-up at Royal Ascot June 19 and ultra-sharp Skidmore S. winner at the Spa Aug. 21 was recently purchased privately by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg from breeder Randall Lowe. He is the 1-2 morning-line favorite. "He's doing really well. We're excited about...

The Wesley Ward-conditioned Bound for Nowhere (The Factor) and Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) each turned in breezes over the Belmont turf course Thursday morning in advance of the expected arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa, with each being pointed towards turf sprint stakes during the early part of the Saratoga meet. Also owned by Ward, Bound for Nowhere came from well back to defeat an unlucky Imprimis (Broken Vow) in Keeneland's GII Shakertown S. Apr. 3 and was last seen finishing third to Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) after setting the majority...

Connections of Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) have lost their appeal to have the colt's disqualification from victory in Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup overturned. Dragon Symbol and the American-trained filly Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) fought out a thrilling stretch duel in the six furlong contest, with Dragon Symbol crossing the wire a head the better, but the placings were reversed on account of Dragon Symbol bumping Campanelle on numerous occasions during the run and taking her off her line. Stewards on the day deemed the interference was enough...

Trainer Archie Watson has lodged an appeal with the British Horseracing Authority against the decision by stewards at Royal Ascot to disqualify Yoshiro Kubota's Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) from victory in last week's G1 Commonwealth Cup. Dragon Symbol and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) moved into a joint lead approaching the final furlong of the Commonwealth Cup, at which point Dragon Symbol, ridden by Oisin Murphy, began to drift towards the far side rail, bumping Campanelle, with Frankie Dettori aboard, as he did so. Stewards deemed that at the...

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), front-running winner of the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint for his breeder Randall Lowe, has been purchased by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg, a Coolmore official confirmed Wednesday. The first foal out of Lowe's outstanding 11-time stakes winner Lady Shipman (Midshipman), Golden Pal was bought back on a bid of $325,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale and was runner-up on debut over the Gulfstream main track last April before missing by a neck to The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince...

Stonestreet Stables's Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the winner of last week's G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, will skip an intended start in the G1 July Cup on July 10 and instead ship back to trainer Wesley Ward's Keeneland base on Wednesday. Campanelle's new target is the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, Ward confirmed. "We're going for the Maurice de Gheest on Aug. 8, so we'll have plenty of time to get her back here tomorrow and get her ready and get her there a couple days before...

Royal Ascot 2021 cannot be accused of lacking melodrama, especially in the 24 hours from Thursday's Gold Cup to Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup, with the monstrous monsoon and grim skies the backdrop for an epic renewal of the meeting's premier 3-year-old sprint. As the TDN Rising Stars Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) drove past the post, it was the former who was announced the winner by a head but after an agonising spell for connections of the transatlantic duo the stewards duly reversed the...

After the drawn-out saga of Thursday's G1 Gold Cup, Royal Ascot moves back toward speed on Friday with the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Commonwealth Cup acting as a dual focus on a day that is forecast to see an abundance of rain. In terms of prize money and its longstanding status, the Coronation holds sway and another typically fierce renewal sees the May 2 G1 1000 Guineas heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) bid to hold on to her title in a rematch with the compatriot in whose shadow...

   It's Thursday at Royal Ascot, which can only mean that it's time for Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) with the Gosden titan now bidding for a record-equalling fourth renewal of the G1 Gold Cup. As Yeats (Ire) did before him, Bjorn Nielsen's stayer supreme just keeps coming back to deal with the latest set of opponents looking to stretch him. In his inaugural triumph in 2018, it was the French doyen Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) who felt his breeze as Frankie's favourite winning post loomed, while a year...

NEWMARKET, UK--Since 2009, Wesley Ward has made Royal Ascot an annual pilgrimage, both for his horses and his family. The enduring and endearing repetition of that first visit is the presence of the now 14-year-old Strike The Tiger (Tiger Ridge), Ward's first of 11 Royal Ascot winners, who is now a much valued stable pony and has accompanied his team to Newmarket. The trainer was in his customary relaxed mood on Wednesday morning at Newmarket's National Stud, where his team has been based on his visits to England over the...

Overbore benefitted from a key scratch in the morning and a pace duel in the afternoon to graduate and become his 23-year-old sire's 123rd stakes winner in this longstanding event. Third by a half-length behind Baytown Frosty (Frosted) after a rough start at even-money at Keeneland Apr. 18, the dark bay second by a nose on the Churchill turf May 21. He inherited the favorite's role when big-figure debut romper Little Drama (Dramedy) was withdrawn, and he was bothered at the start before moving up to sit third behind runaway...

Happy Soul was hammered down to 1-9 favoritism off a dominant graduation at this oval and ran to the money with another devastating performance in the Astoria S. at Belmont Friday. Shooting out to a clear lead, the Wesley Ward trainee zipped through a :21.92 opening quarter with no looming threats. Turning for home alone as the half went in :45.74, the bay poured it on in the lane to win for fun by eight lengths in 1:05.69. Constitution Gal (Constitution) was the runner-up. Second to her male stablemate Nakatomi...