Ward sitting pretty with pair in Paradise Creek

ELMONT, N.Y – Stakes winners Outadore and Chasing Artie give trainer Wesley Ward a complementary uncoupled entry in Sunday’s $100,000 Paradise Creek Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf at Belmont Park.

Outadore, a son of Outwork, is a two-time stakes winner, having made a successful 3-year-old debut in the Animal Kingdom over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface in March. Last year, he also won the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs, a race run over soft ground. Ward, however, would prefer firm turf for Outadore.

“The firmer the better for him,” Ward said.

There was rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, which could impact the turf courses that have been extremely firm to date.

:: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more.

Outadore’s lone two defeats have come going a mile, one on turf in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the other on dirt in the Springboard Mile. Ward scratched Outadore out of Friday night’s Penn Mile at Penn National.

“I think the seven-eighths would be a better distance for him,” Ward said. “He had everything his own in the Breeders’ Cup and just didn’t sustain.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Outadore from post 3 in the seven-horse field.

Chasing Artie, a son of We Miss Artie, has won his last two starts including the Palisades Turf Sprint at Keeneland on April 2. In that race, Chasing Artie broke last under Joel Rosario and circled the field in the stretch to beat Fauci by 1 3/4 lengths. Rosario will be back aboard on Sunday.

“We’re going to try and utilize a similar style,” Ward said. “Joel is such a master from behind. He took it into his own hands, took him back a little further and wheeled out and away they came.”

Fauci, previously with Ward, is now with Philip Antonacci as his father is part owner of the son of Malibu Moon. Fauci has a win and four seconds from five career starts.

Trainer Phil Gleaves entered the pair of Thin White Duke and Second of July. He has cross-entered Thin White Duke for Monday’s Mike Lee Stakes and wants to see the weather on Sunday and the field for the Mike Lee before deciding in which race to run.

Thin White Duke finished last in an open-company allowance race here on April 24. Gleaves said the horse was diagnosed with gastric ulcers, which have since been treated.

Second of July, who won both his starts over the Belmont turf course last year at big prices, is making his first start since a 12th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last November.

Gleaves noted that Second of July took a clod of sod to his eye in the Breeders’ Cup, which he believes affected his performance.

“When I got back to the barn his left eye was fully closed,” Gleaves said. “That told the tale of that race. It wasn’t a true showing of his ability.”

Manny Franco is named to ride from post 7.

Beren, who won the Gold Fever on dirt here May 9, would be trying turf for the first time in the Paradise Creek. His sire, Weigelia, was a three-time winner on turf.

Three Two Zone, by Street Sense out of a Dansili mare, is another who has not yet raced on turf.