Ward rides Keeneland momentum into 1st Kentucky Derby

Wesley Ward rides a tremendous wave of momentum ahead of his first Kentucky Derby starter, having registered a record-tying four victories on Keeneland’s closing day to easily win his seventh training title there.

Ward captured 20 races to tie Henry Forrest for third place overall for most meet titles at Keeneland. His dominance included stakes successes with Kimari in the Madison (G1), Bound for Nowhere in the Shakertown (G2), Twenty Carat in the Beaumont (G3) and Chasing Artie in the Palisades Turf Sprint. Only Ben Jones (1948), Todd Pletcher (2011) and Chad Brown (2018) swept as many stakes in one meet.

Ward said he had freshened many of his top horses last autumn with an eye toward a strong performance at Keeneland’s prestigious spring stand. He uses Keeneland as his home base.

“Every time you lead one over and you get lucky and you’re able to win the meet, it really adds to your resume,” he said. “It’s what’s happening now that counts in horse racing, not what’s happened yesterday. We’re shooting good right now.”

Ward is best known for an uncanny ability with precocious turf sprinters that led to an astonishing level of success as an American at Royal Ascot. Having horsepower for the Kentucky Derby has been another matter.

He nearly got there with Pablo Del Monte in 2014, but owner Michael Tabor elected to scratch rather than have the 3-year-old break from farthest outside in a field of 20.

Ward does not regret that. “Actually, Mr. Tabor did us a favor when he looked at it and analyzed it,” he said.

The veteran trainer is finally on course for the Derby with M Racing Group’s Like the King, a son of Palace Malice who has everything to prove on dirt for the white-hot stable.

The son of Palace Malice secured his place in the expected 20-horse Derby field by winning the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 27 on the Tapeta synthetic surface at Turfway Park with Drayden Van Dyke aboard. The Grade 3 event carried 100 qualifying points for the winner for the first time this year. Perhaps not coincidentally, Churchill Downs purchased Turfway in 2019.

Like the King’s only two dirt starts suggest he may not be deserving of a place on the first Saturday in May. He made his debut at five-and-a-half furlongs last July 29 at Belterra Park and ran second. When shifted to turf with an increase in distance to one mile, he responded with a runaway score at Belterra on Sept. 9. He finished a well-beaten third to stablemate Next in a 1 1/16-mile Keeneland allowance race that was taken off the turf on Oct. 24.

His three starts since then have all been at Turfway. He took a Dec. 4 allowance optional claimer there and prepped for the Jeff Ruby by running second in the Feb. 26 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes.

Curiously, Like the King began working toward the Derby with a six-furlong drill in 1:16 on turf at Keeneland on April 10. “I know he has an affinity for grass and, if you work horses on the grass, I would say 99 percent, if not 100 percent of the time, they are going to come out sound,” Ward said. “It’s a very forgiving surface.”

The conditioner is largely pinning his hopes on a six-furlong work on dirt at Keeneland on April 17. Like the King got the distance in 1:12.8 after starting three lengths behind Artie’s Princess, Canada’s 3-year-old champion female sprinter.

“He sort of manhandled her in the workout,” Ward said, adding, “He’s bred for distance top and bottom.”

Ward said the work erased any doubts he had. “That answered the question of whether or not he’ll like the dirt,” he said. “Now, whether he likes the dirt at Churchill, that’s another question that we won’t find out until race day.”

According to Ward, he elected to work Like the King at Keeneland rather than Churchill Downs because he thought it would help to keep the horse sound.

“I didn’t want to risk going on an unfamiliar track,” he said. “Hopefully, he’s as sound as he is today when we lead him over there on Derby day.”

Like the King is scheduled to take the relatively short van ride from Keeneland to Churchill Downs on Tuesday. He and Van Dyke are sure to be listed as long shots when post positions are drawn that day.

Ward is undaunted.

“It’s anyone that’s in horse racing’s dream to get into the Kentucky Derby with a chance,” he said. “I think I have a sincere chance.”