Keeneland: Ward set up for quick start to meet

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Bundle up, then riders up. Winter hasn’t quite rid itself of central Kentucky, where near-freezing conditions and the possibility of an off track will greet fans and horsemen who have been counting down the days ahead of the 2022 spring meet at Keeneland.

Highs in the mid-40s and a 50 percent chance of rain are in the regional forecast for both Friday and Saturday at Keeneland, where massive purses and the tradition of Wesley Ward winning with 2-year-olds will help everybody shrug off the chill and remember what they’re here for.

Ward, a seven-time champion trainer at Keeneland, will be front and center at once. He’ll send out the uncoupled pair of Dominicana and Insanity It Seems in the first race Friday, a 4 1/2-furlong dash that kicks off both the 15-day meet and a new season of baby racing on the Kentucky circuit.

“It’s always a very exciting time,” said Ward. “Hopefully our horses will run like they’ve trained and we’ll be lucky enough to make a few trips to the winner’s circle.”

Ward will be represented in quite a few of the 19 stakes to be run through closing day, April 29, starting Friday with the first of five Grade 1 races at the meet, the $600,000 Ashland Stakes. He’ll give a leg up to John Velazquez aboard the speedy Happy Soul in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland in her first try beyond six furlongs.

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“You never know until they do it in the afternoon,” said Ward, “but she acts like she’ll stretch out. Obviously she’s a filly of quality, so she deserves a shot.”

On Saturday, when the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes will anchor an 11-race card that includes four graded stakes, Ward will saddle such standouts as Kimari for the Grade 1 Madison and Golden Pal for the Grade 2 Shakertown.

Velazquez is one of numerous superstar jockeys helping to make for an incredibly deep colony. Along with Joel Rosario, Irad Ortiz Jr., Luis Saez, Flavien Prat, and all the Kentucky regulars, there’s nothing even close anywhere else to the assemblage of talent that will be competing on this circuit through the May 7 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Same goes for a roster of trainers that includes Todd Pletcher, Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Bill Mott, Mike Maker, and so many more. They’re all here in no small part because Keeneland purses once again are projected to reach record levels, thanks largely to year-round revenues accrued from the slots-like historical horse racing machines at the nearby Red Mile.

Maiden-specials range from $80,000 to $100,000, while allowances start at $110,000 and will be worth as much as $140,000. Purses for those races include substantial bonuses restricted to horses registered to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

First post daily is 1 p.m. Eastern except for the cards of April 9 and 29, which start at 12:30. Dark days are Mondays, Tuesdays, and April 17 (Easter).