Americans arrive at Ascot in force

The gang’s all there, a bumper crop of 14 American horses in England set to race during the Royal Ascot meeting next week.

Ten of the Americans are trained by Wesley Ward, who has won seven Royal Ascot races during his career. They arrived in England about a week ago, and on Wednesday morning, nine of them – all except Fairyland – went through public 4 1/2-furlong workouts over the Ascot course. Ward gave his Ascot starters their major drills before they shipped out of Keeneland, but several of the horses worked fairly fast Wednesday, with Lady Aurelia and Happy Like a Fool in particular apparently catching the eye.

Ryan Moore worked many of Ward’s horses, subbing for Frankie Dettori, who sustained a relatively minor injury last weekend but remains the intended pilot for most of Ward’s runners next week. John Velazquez has the mount on Arawak, who runs in the Coventry Stakes on Tuesday.

Also racing on Tuesday for Ward is Lady Aurelia, who will be heavily favored to win the Group 1 King’s Stand over five furlongs. Ward has two runners, Elizabeth Darcy and Nootka Sound, for Tuesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes.

Lady Aurelia impressively won the Queen Mary Stakes last year, and in Happy Like a Fool, Ward has the likely favorite for this year’s edition on Wednesday. Fairyland could join her in the Queen Mary or await the Albany Stakes on Friday. The 3-year-old filly Con Te Partiro goes in the Sandringham, which also is on Wednesday’s card.

Ward has McErin for the Norfolk Stakes on Thursday, while Princess Peggy is penciled in for the Albany Stakes and 3-year-old Bound for Nowhere goes in the Commonwealth Cup on Friday.

The four other American horses intended for Royal Ascot races all traveled well to England, their connections said. Miss Temple City, trainer Graham Motion said on Tuesday, now is more likely to contest the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the first race of the meeting, than the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday.

Miss Temple City shipped with the 3-year-old filly La Coronel, whose trainer, Mark Casse, won the 2016 Queen Anne with Tepin. La Coronel starts in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes on Friday, a race that will have the Aidan O’Brien-trained Winter as a heavy favorite.

American Patriot, trained by Todd Pletcher, will join Miss Temple City in the Queen Anne, in which Ribchester will be a defined favorite. The Bill Mott-trained sprinter Long On Value starts in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs on Saturday’s card, the meet’s final program.