Ward seeking fifth Colleen victory

Trainer Wesley Ward will be looking for his third consecutive victory – and fifth overall – in the $75,000 Colleen Stakes on Sunday at Monmouth Park. He could have as many as three chances in the five-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-old fillies.

Ward sent out Ruby Notion (2015), Red Lodge (2016), and Mae Never No (2018) to win the Colleen, and last year added another win when Foolish Humor was promoted to victory via a disqualification. This year, his main hopes rest on Flying Aletha and Wink, with his homebred Steal My Sunshine entered for the main-track only.

Flying Aletha, with Monmouth’s leading rider Paco Lopez named to ride, is the only member of this field with prior stakes experience. The Tiznow filly, who races for CJ Thoroughbreds, was a 5 1/2-length debut winner in a maiden taken off the turf on May 21 at Gulfstream. Her Beyer Speed Figure of 64 is tied for the best number in this race among those fillies whose maiden races were assigned Beyers.

Flying Aletha participated in Ward’s annual trip to Royal Ascot in England, fading to 10th in the Group 3 Albany Stakes after leading early on the good to soft going. The Albany has proved to be a key race. Unbeaten winner Dandalla came back to take the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge in England, while third-place finisher Mother Earth returned to win a Group 3 in Ireland.

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Stonestreet Farms’ Wink, by the good turf-sprint sire Midshipman, won her debut by 1 1/4 lengths over colts on June 12 on the Belmont Park turf. The third-place finisher, Alda, emerged from that race to win a maiden race. Wink, who is drawn inside under Antonio Gallardo, will need to use the speed she showed in her debut. She and Flying Aletha will both run on Lasix for the first time.

Lopez also is named on Ward’s main-track-only entrant Steal My Sunshine. The Distorted Humor filly was sixth in her debut July 9 on the Belmont turf behind Alda.

My Beautiful Belle, who is based locally with trainer Chuck Spina, matched Flying Aletha’s 64 Beyer when winning her debut, a 4 1/2-furlong dirt sprint on July 4 at Monmouth.

Delaware maiden winners Mavilus and Moochie, Tampa maiden winner Stellar Grace, and debut starter Kewpie Doll complete the main body of the field. Moochie earned a 61 Beyer in her debut win.