Wesley Ward Stable Tour

Wesley Ward won his first Royal Ascot race in 2009 when Strike The Tiger upset the Windsor Castle at odds of 33-1. Ward has since added eleven more wins at the big meeting and is sending four raiders, all two-year-olds, from America this year.

ULTIMA GRACE

(Queen Mary Stakes, 2.30 Wednesday)

(Queen Mary Stakes, 2.30 Wednesday)

Daughter of American Pharoah got involved in a protracted speed duel in debut on dirt at Keeneland on April 23. But after she got clear, she won quite handily by 3 3-4 lengths under John Velazquez.

“She won impressively by a considerable margin with Johnny just sitting on her,” Ward said. “When we switched her over to the grass you can tell … that’s where she’ll be for the rest of her life. She’s much, much better on the grass. She had some really nice breezes on the grass leading up to Keeneland.

Ultima Grace is out of the dam Ultima D who won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Turf for Ward as a maiden.

HONORARY AMERICAN

(Windsor Castle Stakes, 6.15 Wednesday)

(Windsor Castle Stakes, 6.15 Wednesday)

Son of Churchill was scheduled to debut on turf at Aqueduct on May 24, but the race was rained off to the main track and he finished third, beaten 2 1-4 lengths, after duelling on the lead under Joel Rosario.

Ward said he left it up to the owners whether or not to run at Aqueduct but told them they wouldn’t be able to get another race in before Ascot.

“Joel liked the run but said the last part of the race he was floundering on the dirt being by Churchill,” Ward said. “He couldn’t get a hold of it.”

Ward said Honorary America’s first work back, on June 1 over Keeneland’s turf was mediocre. But he worked back on June 8 with a bullet half-mile in 48.80 seconds over the turf.

In the June 1 work “he was a little green with the cones up and he kind of got lost around the turn and then he finished nicely,” Ward said. 

“I told the owners, this still doesn’t warrant going, let’s give him one more work, he stepped it up and he went whoosh, he had the fastest work of the day. 

“I let the owners make the call and they said they wanted to take a shot at the Windsor Castle.” 

SATURDAY FLIRT

(Norfolk Stakes, 2.30 Thursday)

(Norfolk Stakes, 2.30 Thursday)

Daughter of Mendelssohn overcame a slow start with a run from well off the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. to win her maiden impressively going 5 1-2 furlongs on the turf at Keeneland on April 26.

“She kind of sat back when they kicked the gate Irad said and she came out slow and Irad had been on her for six and seven workouts before,” Ward said. “He said had he not sat on her so many times, he may not have ridden the same race. He just sat back, bided his time, eased her out and she swooshed home.”

Though Saturday Flirt won with blinkers on, Ward is planning to take the blinkers off for the Norfolk.

“I’m going to take the blinkers off her to make it a little easier on the rider and am probably going to try and come from a little bit off the pace and let her finish the last part,” Ward said. 

BURNING PINE

(Albany Stakes, 2.30 Friday)

(Albany Stakes, 2.30 Friday)

Joel Rosario never asked this daughter of Nyquist for run in her 4 1-2-furlong maiden dirt debut which she won by 3 1-2 lengths in hand. She is a half-sister to Neat, who won the Transylvania Stakes on turf earlier this year at Keeneland.

“Burning Pine is a tall, gangly filly, she would prefer a little bit more distance, Ward said about choosing the six-furlong Albany. “Six furlongs at Ascot is like going a mile at Santa Anita, it’s a long way for a two-year-old. You start up a hill then go down and then finish up a hill.”

Ward said that Burning Pine’s first work on turf after her debut win was average but when she came back on June 8 she showed she wanted the grass.

“Just recently, she’s been showing she’s going to like it,” Ward said. “I think her pedigree is coming out a little bit more in her in that she’s just not a sprinter, she’s going to want to go further.”