Keeneland-based Ward kicks off home meet with 2 stakes wins

Lexington, Ky.

The start of Keeneland’s spring meet is something like a second New Year’s Day for trainer Wesley Ward.

Friday marked a New Year worth celebrating. His runners Chasing Artie and Twenty Carat scored back-to-back stakes wins in the $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint and Grade 3, $150,000 Beaumont Stakes.

“Keeneland’s always the opening for the year, this being our home track,” Ward said after the Beaumont victory. “I think we have a little bit of an advantage that way, that they’re trained here their whole careers.

“To actually come and get it done on a big day like this and start the year out like I was saying, it looks like it’s going to be a great year.”

Ward’s first stakes win of the afternoon came as he scored a 1-2 finish in the Palisades Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds.

Ward’s Chasing Artie outdueled stablemate Fauci to the wire in the 5½-furlong sprint, stopping the clock in 1:03.46. Jockey Joel Rosario booted home Chasing Artie, a gelded son of We Miss Artie bred by owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

Chasing Artie debuted last May as a 2-year-old at Gulfstream Park but finished seventh. Ward waited more than eight months to give him another start, which turned out to be a second-place effort in January at Turfway Park.

The gelding scored a breakthrough triumph in his third attempt in February at Gulfstream Park in his last start before Saturday. He won that race in front-running fashion but had to come from behind to win Friday.

Chasing Artie hopped at the start and broke last of nine while 69-1 long shot Lock Up blazed through an opening quarter-mile in 21.76 seconds over Keeneland’s turf course. Rosario handled Chasing Artie patiently along the inside around the turn before swinging six-wide.

Once in the stretch, Chasing Artie showed a strong late kick. He blew by leader Bodenheimer and strolled on to a 1¾-length score.

“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in this guy,” Ward said. “… We were patient, and we got the right spot. Now he’s turned it all around and it looks like he’s going to be a really nice horse for the future.”

Chasing Artie returned $10.20 as the 4-1 third choice in the betting.

Fauci, the 17-10 favorite, made his first start in nearly seven months and finished second for the third race in a row. He was also runner-up as a 2-year-old in stakes at Saratoga and Kentucky Downs.

“I think that’s a good opening start for him for the year,” Ward said. “He’s going to have a big future as well.”

Unitedandresolute finished third for trainer Tom Amoss. Keeneland stakes winner Bodenheimer, the 3-1 second choice in the betting, was sixth.

One race later in the seven-furlong Beaumont, Twenty Carat settled into a spot third of seven under jockey Luis Saez. Up front, My Girl Red set fractions of 22.18 and 44.79 in the stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Twenty Carat moved past both My Girl Red and second-place Farsighted by the 5/16ths pole. The Into Mischief filly went on to open up a 3½-length lead before scoring by 1½ lengths.

The Three Chimneys Farm homebred Twenty Carat covered seven furlongs in 1:26.04 and returned $9 at 7-2 odds. 11-10 favorite Slumber Party ran second for trainer Kelly Breen ahead of Amalfi Princess in third.

The victory earned Twenty Carat 10 points toward the 2021 Kentucky Oaks. That will not likely be enough to qualify for the Oaks, but the filly could still appear earlier on that April 30 card in the $300,000 Eight Belles Stakes (G2), another seven-furlong sprint.

Twenty Carat now has two straight wins out of three lifetime starts. She broke her maiden on second asking in February at Turfway.

“I think this filly has a big future, and we’re looking forward to it,” Ward said.

Beyond Ward’s two winners Friday, he had three more second-place finishers: Fauci in the Palisades Turf Sprint, Dream Fly in a maiden race and Tiz Splendid News in an allowance event.

Ward has three runners set to start Saturday, highlighted by Bound for Nowhere in the $200,000 Shakertown Stakes (G2) and Kimari in the $300,000 Madison Stakes (G1). Rosario has the mount for both races.

The 7-year-old Bound for Nowhere won the 5½-furlong Shakertown back in 2018. He will make his 2021 debut off a layoff of nearly nine months.

Kimari has won stakes races for Ward at Keeneland, Oaklawn Park and Saratoga, and has twice turned in runner-up finishes at Royal Ascot. The 4-year-old is chasing her first graded triumph in the seven-furlong Madison.

“We’re real excited for tomorrow,” Ward said. “She couldn’t be any better. To open up like this today, hopefully the momentum continues.”

Looking past the Keeneland spring meet, even bigger things can be on the horizon for Ward at Churchill Downs on May 1.

Like the King earned Ward a spot in the 2021 Kentucky Derby starting gates Saturday by winning the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park. The Palace Malice colt earned 100 Kentucky Derby points with that win, putting him in line to become Ward’s first Kentucky Derby starter May 1.

Each of Like the King’s last three races have come on the synthetic track at Turfway, but he breezed in between those starts over the dirt at Keeneland.

“He’s had some really nice dirt works,” Ward said. “There’s a lot of difference in tracks between here and Churchill. But he’s settled in nice and it’s just a question of if he’s going to be good enough.

“We’re going to sit back and make one big run. A lot of times you can get lucky that way.”