Ward running Wonder Stone against males in Bridgetown Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Wesley Ward nominated 15 fillies to Saturday’s $100,000 Bridgetown Stakes for 3-year-olds and has decided to run Wonder Stone against males in the six-furlong turf stakes.

The Bridgetown drew a field of six, though one, Majid, was entered only to run if the race is moved to the main track.

Wonder Stone, a daughter of Super Saver, beat males on dirt in her debut last April 18 at Keeneland. She made her second start in the Astoria against females at Belmont and finished fifth. She was stopped on “for little niggling issues,” Ward said.

Wonder Stone made her 3-year-old debut in an allowance race at Turfway Park on March 15. After dueling for the early lead, Wonder Stone was taken back by jockey Angel Serpa. Wonder Stone had to go six wide turning for home and was carried out a path or two farther in the stretch, yet closed strongly to win.

“She ran a really good race that day,” Ward said. “She was really, really wide – past the middle of the track – and ran a big race.”

Ward likes the way Wonder Stone has trained on turf and decided to give her a try in this spot.

Trainer Graham Motion was planning to run Regally Irish in next Saturday’s $100,000 Woodhaven Stakes here going 1 1/16 miles. But when he was told that the Bridgetown was coming up light, Motion opted to run here.

Regally Irish, whose dam, Irish Score, is a half-sister to Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry, won a one-mile turf allowance in January at Tampa Bay Downs. Motion said Regally Irish emerged from the race with an entrapped epiglottis and he underwent a laser procedure to correct it.

Motion said that coming off the layoff “maybe we can get away with sprinting him.”

In his only try sprinting on turf, Regally Irish finished fifth, beaten just three lengths in the Laurel Futurity over yielding turf.

“It was very soft,” Motion said. “I’m not altogether sure it was a fair test. He didn’t run that badly.”

Skole, who won sprinting on turf at Gulfstream in December and in an off-the-turf allowance race at Tampa in March, looks live for trainer Arnaud Delacour.

Mount Travers, an allowance winner in the slop last December, will try turf for the first time. Skychief is winless in nine tries, seven of those coming on turf.