Royal Ascot regular Wesley Ward unveils two likely candidates with debut juvenile winners on Keeneland’s closing card
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown is set to make his debut at Royal Ascot with stakes-winning filly Sweet Rebecca after her victory at Aqueduct on Sunday [April 28].
Carrying the colours of John Stewart’s Resolute Racing team, the daughter of American Pharoah justified odds-on favouritism by a length and a half in the $150,000 Memories of Silver over a mile under leading rider Tyler Gaffalione.
Brown, who runs major fancy Sierra Leone in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, mentioned the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 21 as the filly’s primary immediate target.
“It all worked out and I do think this filly might be my first Ascot starter,” said Brown, speaking to the NYRA media team.
“For right now, I’d say it’s likely her next start would be in the Coronation – she’s a serious filly and trains with a lot of power. She has a nice turn-of-foot, strong horse.”
Owner John Stewart, making such a big splash in the sales ring, purchased Sweet Rebecca shortly after a successful debut for former trainer Brendan Walsh.
“She is exactly what we look for,” Stewart said. “She lines up with our breeding program long term, and so we’re trying to pick off a lot of these really good running fillies that we think will be good in our program later and have fun with them while they’re racing, and then keep them out of the auctions.
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“So we jumped at that opportunity,” he went on. “I’m happy we made a good decision with that, and from here, we’re planning on taking her to Ascot.”
Wesley Ward unleashes fillies at Keeneland
Needless to say, Royal Ascot’s favourite American adoptive son Wesley Ward has his sights firmly set on the royal meeting after leading the standings for the seventh consecutive year at the Keeneland Spring Meet.
Ward, who has ten Keeneland meet titles to his name overall, secured his latest title with 12 winners, highlighted by Fandom’s victory in the Palisades. Fandom holds an entry in both the King Charles III Stakes and Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
Ward enjoyed a double with back-to-back successes on the closing-day [April 26] at Keeneland with first-time-out two-year-old winners Saturday Flirt and Burning Pine.
Ward, who has trained 12 Royal Ascot winners, immediately nominated both for a possible trip to the UK.
Ward homebred Saturday Flirt, who won a 5½-furlong turf maiden under Irad Ortiz, is set for the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, a race her trainer has won four times in the past.
“She is just a beautiful filly,” said Ward (right), speaking to the BloodHorse. “From the onset when she was born here across the street from Keeneland, she was a standout.”
Odds-on favourite Burning Pine won a 4½-furlong maiden on the main dirt track for Gatewood Bell’s Hat Creek racing partnership.
“I’m sure Gatewood and his syndicate are looking to go to Ascot and for this filly,” Ward told the BloodHorse. “I would consider running her in the Albany, which is six furlongs. That is long for this time of the year but this filly could definitely do it.”
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