Wesley Ward

2nd-GP, $65K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, post time: 1:35p.m. ET Known for his prowess with early 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the first runner by champion and GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in BREAKTHROUGH. Purchased for $330,000 at FTKJUL, the dark bay is a half-brother to SW & MGISP Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his dam is a half to MGSW Fort Prado (El Prado {Ire}). Scratched from a similar spot Friday, he enters this unveiling off a bullet three panels on the turf at Palm Meadows in...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-GP, $60K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 1:35p.m. Known for his prowess with early 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the first runner by champion and GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist in BREAKTHROUGH. Purchased for $330,000 at FTKJUL, the dark bay is a half-brother to SW & MGISP Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) and his dam is a half to MGSW Fort Prado (El Prado {Ire}). He enters this unveiling off a bullet three panels on the turf at Palm Meadows in :36 1/5 (1/8) May...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. The highly regarded Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) set a blistering early pace and had to settle for second in one of the first baby races of the season on the Gulfstream Park dirt last week. What's the confidence level like now surrounding the 2-year-old colt after getting upset as the 1-2 favorite on debut? "It's funny, about half an hour ago, I was booking airline reservations to Heathrow...

2nd-GP, $65K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 1:34 p.m. GOLDEN PAL (Uncle Mo), the first foal out of talented turf sprinter and 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Shipman (Midshipman), debuts for Wesley Ward. The Randy Lowe homebred RNA'd for $325,000 as a KEESEP yearling last year. Golden Pal worked four furlongs in :48 around the dogs over the Palm Meadows lawn in :48 (2/51) Apr. 11. "He's very fast," Ward said of the 7-5 morning-line favorite. Jacks or Better Farm homebred First Navy Admiral (Fort Loudon), a half-brother to champion Awesome Feather...

Ten Broeck Farm's Kimari (Munnings) may be in line for a return date at the Royal Ascot meeting this summer following her win in the Purple Martin S. at Oaklawn Saturday. Trainer Wesley Ward said the tentative plan for Kimari, who was second in last year's G2 Queen Mary S., is to return to England for the June 19 G1 Commonwealth Cup. "She's going to be just a pure sprinter, dirt or turf," Ward said after his first career Oaklawn victory Saturday. "We'll probably try to stick a little bit...

Kimari returned to winning ways and scored her first black-type victory on dirt in the Purple Martin S. The bay settled in mid-pack off a sharp first quarter in :21.63. Tipped out two wide for running room, she improved her position through a half in :45.26 and unleashed a powerful rally in the stretch, charging clear to score. "I was really, really super confident going into this race," trainer Wesley Ward said. "I'm kind of a positive guy, anyways, but after seeing those two works, I knew it would take...

When Fitri Hay's Zipaway (City Zip) took a $5,000 maiden claimer at Turfway Park Mar. 21, it gave trainer Wesley Ward a tiebreaking 19th winner from 53 runners and secured leading trainer honors at the meet, cut short by Governor Andy Beshear's directive to close non-essential businesses in the coronavirus outbreak. Ward's victory left Mike Maker on 18 winners from his 70 starters. It was the third consecutive title for Ward at the winter/spring meet at Turfway. He also shared the top spot with Maker during the 2018 holiday meet....

Saturday's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks is one of just two Kentucky Derby points races in this country to be held over a synthetic racing surface and while only half of the 12 entrants hold nominations to the Triple Crown series, an interesting betting affair looms. Invader (War Front) figures a lukewarm favorite, as he enters this graded-stakes debut perfect in two tries over the local Polytrack--a towering 12 3/4-length maiden victory going a mile last Dec. 4 followed by a 6 1/4-length success in the John Battaglia Memorial S. Feb....

Finnegan (Ire) (Unbridled's Song), the half-brother to Grade I winner Bodemeister (Empire Maker) who broke his maiden by five lengths on the Preakness undercard May 16, could take in the G2 Gimcrack S. Aug. 22. Owned by the Coolmore partners and Ice Wine Stables and trained by Wesley Ward, Finnegan was set to start in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot before an illness ruled him out of competition the morning of the race. "Unfortunately, he just had a touch of colic and a few days after that, he...

The Coolmore partners' Acapulco (Scat Daddy), the eye-catching winner of last week's G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot for trainer Wesley Ward, could take the path less traveled by Ward's precocious juveniles and take in the G1 Nunthorpe S. against older rivals Aug. 21. Ward has yet to run any of his Royal Ascot winners in the Nunthorpe, but he admitted the weight allowance--Acapulco would receive as much as 25 pounds from her rivals--makes it tempting. "She's really something," said Ward. "She's always been a big filly; that's why...

The world's greatest week of racing, Royal Ascot, lived up to its billing last week. British-based operations Godolphin, Shadwell, and Juddmonte's Prince Khalid Abdullah each won two races. Moyglare, the Aga Khan, the Wertheimers, and Al Shaqab all got on the scoreboard. American-based trainer Wesley Ward hit the target twice, taking his Royal Ascot total to six winners from 31 runners since 2009, and the Australians had a near-miss when their top sprinter, Brazen Beau, from the first crop of Invincible Spirit's son, I Am Invincible, was just nailed by...

Wesley Ward was no shrinking violet in the build-up to Wednesday's G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot, and stressed just how well Acapulco (Scat Daddy) had prepared for her date with destiny. Having surprised her trainer by fading into third after attempting to make all tackling 4 1/2 furlongs on the Churchill Downs main track May 8, he reported the imposing chestnut had breezed in eye-popping style in subsequent Keeneland works. Ultimately, the $750,000 OBS March purchase (click here for breeze video) justified every breath of hyperbole, and improved...