The Mackem Bullet looks like Ward's latest star

Over the past few years, trainer Wesley Ward has utilized the Polytrack surface at Turfway Park during the winter months to breeze and race some of his better stakes horses. Royal Ascot conqueror Lady Aurelia was one, working there in 2017 and 2018, while Bound for Nowhere made racing appearances, winning a maiden race in January 2017 and a Turfway allowance this past March, a prep for a victory in Grade 2 Shakertown at Keeneland.

Monday, during an afternoon racing card on New Year’s Eve, Ward was again up to his Turfway Park tricks, showing off The Mackem Bullet, a Group 1-placed filly, in a first-level allowance. Backed to 4-5 favoritism after a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, she outclassed her six rivals, drawing off by 10 1/2 lengths under Luan Machado. She completed a mile in 1:37.50, earning a 78 Beyer Speed Figure, just off the 80 she posted when beaten 8 1/4 lengths by Newspaperofrecord in the Breeders’ Cup.

Ward, reached Wednesday by telephone at Palm Meadows in Florida, where he was overseeing turf workouts, said he could have opted to bring her to Florida, but felt the cooler climate in Kentucky would be appropriate for The Mackem Bullet, who made the first six starts of her career in Britain.

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As the weeks have passed this winter in Kentucky, The Mackem Bullet has not missed a beat, he said. She has appreciated her regular gallops at Keeneland and breezed smartly at Turfway, where Ward sends his Keeneland-based runners for workouts rather than breeze them over the small training track at Keeneland.

“Then this race came up,” Ward said. “Not a lot of money, but it put her in a place where we want to be.”

Ward intends to start her here March 9 on the Jeff Ruby Steaks card in the $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks, a stakes downgraded this year from Grade 3 to listed status. After that, graded stakes are on the table for the Katsumi Yoshida-owned Society Rock filly, including a possible return to Europe under Ward’s direction.

Meanwhile, Ward plans to continues to race and breeze horses over the Turfway strip. Bound for Nowhere recently rejoined his stable after an 11th-place finish in the Shadwell Turf Mile, he said, and his 2-year-olds will begin working at Turfway in March as he gears up his youngsters for spring racing at Keeneland.

“I love the surface,” he said. “I have probably breezed thousands over the years. Never hurt one there, which I can’t say that about any other track where I’ve been.”

One stakes horse for Ward that will not be breezing is Happy Like a Fool. Fourth in the Grade 1 La Brea on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, she has been retired by her owners, the principals at Coolmore Stud, and will be bred to Galileo, Ward said.

Ward, Maker tie for title

The holiday meet at Turfway concluded Monday, with Ward and trainer Mike Maker tying for leading trainer with 10 wins apiece and Rodney Prescott edging Machado by a 21-20 margin for leading jockey.

The title at Turfway, where racing continues during a winter-spring meet from Jan. 1-March 30, gave Maker his 21st, most in track history. He had been tied with Bernie Flint with 20.

Maker’s longtime assistant John Lynde oversees his Turfway division.

Prescott was Maker’s go-to jockey over the holiday meet, riding all of his stable’s winners. The title was his second at Turfway, with his first coming in the 2002 holiday meet.

“He’s a veteran rider, and we’ve been having a lot of luck together,” Maker said.

Maker needed the last race of the holiday meet to tie Ward, with Red Hot Kitten taking Monday’s nightcap for his longtime owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who earned a record 15th owner’s title. Their stable won with 9 of 20 starters.