Wesley Ward might have been a notable absentee from Royal Ascot 2025, but his team are confident he can make up for lost time on his return to the fray at this year’s renewal of the world-famous meeting.
The five-day showpiece has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the powerful American handler, who has enjoyed a total of 12 winners at the meeting, kickstarted by victories for Strike The Tiger in the Windsor Castle and Jealous Again in the Queen Mary back in 2009.
And with a number of exciting two-year-olds set to represent Ward, alongside Outfielder, who is owned in partnership by Amo Racing and former Major League Baseball star Jayson Werth, hopes are high that at least one prize will be travelling back across the Atlantic.
His assistant trainer Blake Heap said: “Everything has been good and they have shipped well. It seems like we have got a pretty good team. I think we will do pretty good. Every one of them is as important as each other and I like them all. Right from the get go we thought we had a pretty good bunch.
“They have all done it very easy so it is hard to see which is better as they have done it the way they are supposed to have done it. You have got to get lucky at the break and have some luck in the race.
“We have worked the younger ones together with pretty good horses so our horses have been battling at home. It is nice to see them win easily on the track and come back good. Sometimes, when you get in a battle you come back with a broken nose.
“Wesley does quite a bit of putting together the horses at home so they are pretty seasoned. We are buying a little bit better horse now as we have got a few more stronger clients.”
Flying the flag for Ward will be Outfielder, who missed an intended outing at the meeting last year before finishing fourth on his European debut in the Group One Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville.
And having rattled up a brace of odds-on wins at Turfway Park and Churchill Downs this season connections are hopeful he can extend that winning run on his return to Group One company in the Commonwealth Cup, which Ward won in 2021 with Campenelle.
He added: “You would like to see Outfielder win after missing the meeting last year. He had a tiny bit of a shin issue. The timing wasn’t right so we didn’t get to come last year. Any time that happens sometimes things can make you back up and it is meant to be that way. So far everything has gone good with him.
"He has done everything to set him up perfectly for this. He is a pretty good minded horse so I don’t think the big crowd will be an issue. We don’t want it to get too wet as we want the ground to be as firm as it can be.
“He has grown up a lot, but he has always been a pretty good horse to do anything with. He seemed like he knew what was going on early.”
Outfielder will be one of two three-year-olds that Ward will send to the meeting with stablemate Bacio, who has won three of his four starts to date on course for the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes.
Heap added “Bacio is doing great. He is a wild man; he's always full of himself and he is doing as well as he could be doing."
The Queen Mary Stakes is a race that Ward has been lucky enough to pick up on four occasions with Acapulco (2015), Lady Aurelia (2016) and Campenelle (2020) all following in the hoofprints of Jealous Again.
Ward could again be well represented in the Group Two with Fanshell Beach, Ruiva, Shining Moment and Through The Years all possible runners in the five-furlong dash.
Heap said: “Ruiva is a beautiful, smart filly. She has got a great head on her. She won on the dirt, but she worked great on the turf at Keeneland. Her and Fanshell Beach both worked great on it.
“We were on the dogs, which means on the outside of the turf course, and they went a very fast time together over there a week ago so that is why we don’t need a whole lot this week.
“Shining Moment has had two races so far. The second race she was professional. The first race they went real fast early, her and another horse, and Tom Morley’s filly (More Champagne) came and beat them. The next start she went to Churchill Downs. She did everything perfectly and won like she was supposed to. She is off to the Queen Mary.
“It was nice to see Through The Years do what she did on the gallops today. It looked like she did it very easily. She ran up on the grass in New York and did it great.
“I don’t know how tough the race was, but one trainer had his horse in there and he thought it was a champion, and she beat that very easily. I think the Queen Mary is the game plan.
“Fanshell Beach has got the option of the Queen Mary or the Windsor Castle. It is more than likely to be the Queen Mary as well. She won by just over five lengths at Churchill Downs and did it very easily. We worked her and Ruiva together today, and they went head-to-head, so you couldn’t say which was better.”
However, while holding a strong hand in the Queen Mary, the best chances of Ward bagging one of the five two year old races on offer at the meeting could rest with Ez Tina, who is set to take on the boys in the Group Two Norfolk Stakes.
Heap added: “Ez Tina worked great on Tuesday and she is doing very well. She scratched her leg a little bit so that is the only thing we are dealing with her.
“We are having to keep an eye on that. It has not healed up completely, but it doesn’t seem to have bothered her. She worked awesome on the turf on Tuesday and she outworked Outfielder which was a good effort."
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