Ward has no hesitation entering back pricey filly after scratch
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Mother Nature has delayed the debut of the high-priced 2-year-old filly Without Hesitation. But not by much.
Without Hesitation, at $2.3 million the second highest-priced purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2-year-olds-in-training auction in April, was scheduled to make her career debut against six colts on Friday at Saratoga. But, due to the heavy rains from earlier in the week, all three of Friday’s scheduled turf races were moved to the main track.
Trainer Wesley Ward entered Without Hesitation back for a 5 1/2-furlong maiden turf race against 2-year-old fillies to be run as Wednesday’s sixth race.
Without Hesitation is by Jackie’s Warrior out of the Indian Charlie mare Brazen Persuasion. Jackie’s Warrior won six graded stakes - including three Grade 1s - on dirt at Saratoga. Brazen Persuasion won the Grade 3 Schuylerville, also a dirt stakes, at Saratoga.
So why has Ward elected to debut this filly on turf?
“I really like to run the babies on the grass. They’re all young and immature and it’s really a forgiving surface,” Ward said earlier in the week. “Kudos to New York for letting us breeze them on the grass, she really had an affinity for it. She’d been working well at Keeneland, but her works on the grass at Saratoga were kind of eye-openers to me. It’s a good place to start her and I can flip her back to the dirt later on if we want. But turf is a good, safe, kind surface to run a filly we paid so much money for that showed she likes it.”
Without Hesitation will break from the outside in the nine-horse field and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz. Ward said that Ortiz has breezed her several times on the turf.
“He loved her every time,” said Ward, who did have Ortiz pop Without Hesitation out of the gate on dirt Sunday but not for a timed workout.
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