Trainer Dan Ward steps into spotlight in stakes at Monmouth

With a stable consisting mostly of claimers and allowance horses, trainer Dan Ward is well aware of the significance of the opportunity he has on Saturday’s Haskell Preview Day card at Monmouth Park.

Of the five stakes races on the 12-race card, Ward will have starters in three of them: New Jersey-bred Wildncrazynight in the Pegasus Stakes, the local prep for the July 19 Haskell Stakes, Awesome Ruta in the Salvator Mile (G3) and Majestic Oops and Gold Strategy in the Lady’s Secret Stakes. He entered Antigravity in the Salvator Mile as well, but will scratch him and seek another spot.

After breaking through with his first stakes win since going out on his own in 2023 with Majestic Oops in the Dig A Diamond Stakes Stakes at Oaklawn on April 26, the former assistant to Hall of Famers Jerry Hollendorfer and Bobby Frankel said he is “excited” to show off some of the best runners in his stable on a big day.

“Winning and having good earnings is one thing. Even when I worked for Hollendorfer and Frankel I saw that when you win a stakes race you get some people calling you,” he said. “You don’t get those calls when you win a $17,500 claimer or even a non-winners of three race. When you win a stakes race people take notice.

“I’m excited. They are all training good. There are no excuses. I’m looking forward to it.”

Wildncrazynight, a gelded son of Midnight Lute, may only face five other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus, with the trainers of Kentucky Outlaw and Barbadian Runner saying they are headed elsewhere.

Owned by Flurry Racing Stables, Wildncrazynight comes off a sharp win against state-bred allowance company on May 25 at Monmouth Park. But Ward has tried Wildncrazynight twice before in open stakes company.

He finished fourth, beaten just a half-length in the Renaissance Stakes on Jan. 18, was fourth again in the Ozark Stakes on Feb. 17 and then was fifth in the Bachelor Stakes on May 2. All of those races were at Oaklawn Park.

The Pegasus Stakes will be the first time Wildncrazynight will try two turns, with his first nine career starts all at six furlongs or shorter.

“This race will answer two questions I have about him,” said Ward. “He looks like a two-turn horse and he runs like a two-turn horse. I’ve always wanted to stretch him out and this will tell us about the stretch out and also the company and how he fits.

“We can always fall back on running against Jersey-breds. He still has all of his allowance conditions. I just want to see where we’re at distance-wise and class-wise with him.”

An added bonus to the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes is free entry and start fees to the Haskell Stakes (G1).

Awesome Ruta, meanwhile, comes off a pair of third-place finishes in sprints to open his 4-year-old campaign, with the start in the Salvator Mile putting him back at a distance where he has had success.

Owned by Tri-Star Racing and Cimarron TTT Farms, the Kentucky-bred son of Mendelsson was tried on the Triple Crown trail a year ago, but was off the board in the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2).

“We’ll see,” said Ward. “It’s always tough when you run against good trainers and good horses. But we’ll give him a shot.

“He ran a really good race at Colonial Downs (finishing second, beaten a nose, in the Petramalo Mile Stakes last Aug. 11) and he ran a good allowance race at Monmouth Park going two turns (last year). What we’ve done with him is we have given him some time off to mature and now we’re running him back after two sprints. I think he is ready to stretch out again.”

In the $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes both Gold Strategy and Majestic Oops come in off wins. Gold Strategy won an optional $20,000 claimer at Monmouth Park on May 31 while Majestic Oops captured the Dig A Diamond Stakes in her last start at Oaklawn. In the start prior to that she won a $130,000 allowance, also at Oaklawn.

“She’s in pretty good form,” Ward said of Majestic Oops.

A 5-year-old daughter of Majestic Harbor owned by Sublime Stables Inc. and Janet Kropp, Majestic Oops has banked $376,599 during her career.

Gold Strategy, a 6-year-old mare by Street Strategy, is owned by Brads Equine Adventure.

The Eatontown Stakes (G3), scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass, and the Monmouth Stakes, at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, round out the stakes schedule on the card.

A revised first race post time of 12:30 p.m. EDT will be in effect for Saturday’s card.