Her World justifies Ward's confidence with victory over males in Tyro, her career debut
Wesley Ward earlier this week called Her World his most talented 2-year-old of 2021. The filly backed up Ward’s high praise Saturday, winning her career debut, the $75,000 Tyro Stakes, beating males by six lengths while coasting across the wire under Paco Lopez.
Her World ($3.80) showed high speed breaking from the outside post in a field of eight, opening a clear lead while setting splits of 21.62 and 44.36. Despite the strong pace, the filly got her final furlong in 12:16 seconds for a final time of 56.62 over a firm grass course, winning in hand.
“Wesley told me she’s the best filly he has now and maybe for many, many years at this stage of her career,” Lopez said. “She broke on top and was looking around a little, maybe trying to figure things out. . . I used her to get to the top right away because Wesley Ward told me she had that kind of speed. Sometimes you want to get out there second or third and relax but she wanted to go. I looked behind after a while for the other horses, but no one was running at us. She was flying in the stretch. You have to be special to do something like this in your first start, a stakes race and a filly against boys.”
Trust Our Journey finished second while third-place finisher Roman Poet was disqualified and placed last. His jockey, Hector Diaz, approaching the quarter pole carelessly steered Roman Poet into the path of Vodka and Water, causing that horse to clip heels and fall. Vodka and Water escaped with minor cuts on his legs, while jockey Gerardo Corrales briefly was knocked unconscious and sent to a nearby hospital to have his shoulder X-rayed.
Ward, who scratched Chi Town Lady from the Tyro and won last week’s Colleen Stakes, another turf sprint, with the 2-year-old filly Miss Alacrity, has the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in mind for Her World, who missed a trip to Royal Ascot because of sore shins.
“We’re excited. She did exactly what we thought she would. We don’t have to change much after watching that race moving forward. We’re going to bring her next to Keeneland, and then we plan on bringing her to the Breeders’ Cup. With what she showed today winning in a stakes race against colts who had experience, it’s encouraging,” Ward said.
The race for Her World at Keeneland is the Indian Summer Stakes over five furlongs on Oct. 10.
Her World, bred in Ireland, is by Caravaggio our of Mundus Novus, by Unbridled’s Song. Ward trains her for Andrew Farm, Susan Moulton, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm.