Ward ready, as usual, with 2-year-old arsenal
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An exacting encore will be difficult, if not nearly impossible. But Wesley Ward will give it his best shot.
“We’re ready to go,” Ward said early this week at Keeneland, where last year he swept the last 10 races for 2-year-olds at the spring meet. “Very ready, I think.”
Ward runners somehow were defeated in two 2-year-old races on opening day of the 2018 spring meet, but the trainer gave nobody else a turn the rest of the way by finishing with 10 winners from 16 starters in those 12 baby races. Even by his high standards, it was an incredible feat.
“Everything came together after opening day,” recalled Ward, 51. “It’s something that I and my staff are very proud of. But this game can be very humbling, so we’ve really been working hard to try to get similar results this spring.”
Baby races, run out of the Headley Course chute at about 4 1/2 furlongs, are an exciting tradition at the Keeneland spring meet. In the 1970s and 80s, they were frequently won by Bwamazon Farm and trainer Tony Basile. Then came turns from trainers Ronny Werner and Steve Asmussen in the 1990s and early 2000s, both of whom dominated for relatively brief periods before refocusing their priorities elsewhere. Since 2007, Ward has been a terror in these April races: he has won with 46 of 120 starters, with his 38 win percentage being somewhat diluted by the fact he often runs two per race.
But that’s old news. What about 2019 spring?
“I’ve mostly been here at Keeneland all winter, getting these babies ready,” said Ward, whose presence indeed was scarce at the recently ended Gulfstream Park championship meet. “I had a barn at [Gulfstream West] and half a barn at Palm Meadows, but a lot of these horses just moved across Rice Road after being sold” at the Keeneland September yearling sale. “We broke them, trained them, schooled them, breezed them, got their minds right, got them fit. Now it’s time to see what we’ve got.”
Ward said his top prospects include Nayibeth, a Carpe Diem filly he purchased last fall at Fasig-Tipton, as well as a half-sister to Lady Aurelia named Lady Pauline.
“I’m not saying [Lady Pauline] will turn out to be as good as Lady Aurelia, but she’s showing more precociousness,” said Ward. “It took four or five works for the light bulb to go on with Lady Aurelia, but this filly caught on instantly. Nobody would have the same expectations, but still I’m really excited about her.”
Keeneland has only eight 2-year-old races in its condition book for the 16-day meet, but more races likely will be carded as divided or extra races. Ward will be paying strict attention.
“I’ve got a wealth of 2-year-olds that can run back here and I’m very grateful to all the owners,” he said. “One thing’s for sure – we’ll be in every spot.”
