Hail to the Chief a different sort for Ward

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Wesley Ward is best known for having fast, precocious, win-early 2-year-olds who aren’t often seen stretching out at age 3. In Hail to the Chief, Ward has a not-so-fast, late-developing juvenile colt who indicates that he wants to run long.

“He wants to go a mile and a half,” Ward said.

He’ll have to wait – perhaps until June – to get the chance to run that far. First, however, Hail to the Chief will get an opportunity to run 1 1/8 miles in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.

Hail to the Chief, a son of Danza owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, didn’t make it to the races until October when he finished fifth in a seven-furlong maiden race at Keeneland. Following a third-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Nov. 23 in the slop at Churchill, Hail to the Chief won a two-turn one-mile maiden race over Turfway’s synthetic surface on Dec. 28.

“He’s not one that I normally train, and I’ve taken my time with him where I can get to this point and hopefully keep moving forward with him in this direction,” Ward said Monday. “He’s a gangly, big, long-striding guy and I’ve got some high hopes for him. I know he doesn’t have the numbers behind him, but I think every month that goes by he’s going to jump up big, big Beyer points and drop down in Ragozin Sheet numbers.”

Hail to the Chief earned just a 60 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden victory, which was three points lower than his previous start, when he encountered some traffic trouble.

“He got stuck down there on the rail and kind of got through. If I had a different trip it might have been a different outcome, though the winner won convincingly,” Ward said.

The top four finishers in the Withers earn qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby on a 10-4-2-1 basis. Last year, Tax won the Withers and ultimately the Jim Dandy at Saratoga. Sir Winston finished fourth in the Withers and eventually won the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles.

Entries for the Withers will be taken Wednesday. Those expected to enter include Remsen winner Shotski, Heft Stakes winner Monday Morning Qb, Display Stakes winner Vanzzy, and maiden winners Portos and Max Player. Prince of Pharoahs, who dead-heated for second in the Jerome, is possible.