Between his starters in North America and those abroad at meetings like Royal Ascot, Wesley Ward has won roughly 2,000 races as a trainer.
This weekend he'll look to add another victory, this time putting his handicapping skill to use. Having analyzed how Roderick stacks up in the Aug. 7 Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Miller Lite (G2) and the Aug. 8 Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar, Ward and owners Mike Hall and Sam Ross of Breeze Easy have elected to run him in the $150,000 Best Pal.
The 2-year-old Into Mischief colt was entered in both races and will now scratch out of the Saratoga Special, Ward said.
"It looks a lot easier on paper out at Del Mar than it would here at Saratoga," Ward said by telephone from New York. "So we just thought the ultimate goal (is) his next start, either the Del Mar Futurity (G1) or the Hopeful (G1), and probably having the Hopeful a little higher up thinking stallion-wise and worth of the horse. So we were looking for the best way to get to that race, saying you'd have to win to be one of the choices into a race like that. So this looks like the best decision."
There are no stakes winners in the Best Pal—compared to the Saratoga Special, which drew Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) winner Cazadero—and the field is smaller, too. Only six oppose him in the Best Pal, and most are similarly exiting maiden races.
Roderick exits his June 21 maiden win in decisive fashion, having rolled by 8 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park in which he blitzed five furlongs in :57.86, the fastest of four races at five-eighths on dirt for 2-year-olds at that meet.
Roderick wins it easy in his 2YO debut with @iradortiz for Wesley Ward in the second at #BelmontPark @TheNYRA pic.twitter.com/IxOd7bHBP6
— NYRA Bets (@NYRABets) June 21, 2020
"He's a real straightforward horse, no issues, did everything right," Ward said. "We flew him in from Keeneland for his first race. He did everything you want to see in an opening debut and came out of the race great and has trained forwardly since."
Del Mar leading rider Flavien Prat has secured the mount on the colt, who galloped at Del Mar Aug. 4, Ward said.
A $550,000 purchase by Breeze Easy at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the consignment of Kingswood Farm, which bred him in Kentucky in partnership with David Egan, Roderick is a full brother to One Liner, the winner of the 2017 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.
Trainer Peter Miller starts a pair in the Best Pal—Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Herd Immunity and Altamira Racing Stable's Girther. Both broke their maidens when racing in Southern California, Herd Immunity doing so on debut June 6 at Santa Anita Park and Girther second out July 11 at Del Mar.
Herd Immunity followed his debut victory with a third in the Bashford Manor after being shipped to Churchill Downs. His third-place finish in which he was beaten 6 1/2 lengths by Cazadero pleased Miller.
"Cazadero is arguably the best (2-year-old) in the country. No disgrace to run third to him," he said.
Blinkers were worn for Herd Immunity's first two starts but will be removed Saturday.
"We're just tinkering around, trying to get him to relax a little more and finish a little better," Miller said.
The Union Rags colt was a bargain $25,000 purchase by Rayme Lightner, agent for Miller, from the Omega Farm consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. The colt was inexpensive due to conformational defects, Miller said.
Abel Cedillo rides Herd Immunity, and Ricky Gonzalez is aboard Girther, a son of Brody's Cause .
The Best Pal also includes Sonic Brees, a July 4 maiden winner at Los Alamitos Race Course after a debut second to Herd Immunity at Santa Anita; Schnell, a full brother to 2019 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) winner Minit to Stardom who scored June 26 at first asking at Los Alamitos; plus Weston and Ambivalent, who ran 1-2 in a June 21 maiden race at Santa Anita.
Del Mar, Saturday, August 8, 2020, Race 6Entries: Best Pal S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sonic Brees (KY) Umberto Rispoli 118 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1 2 2Ambivalent (KY) Mario Gutierrez 118 Doug F. O'Neill 5/1 3 3Schnell (LA) Ruben Fuentes 118 Simon Callaghan 12/1 4 4Roderick (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Wesley A. Ward 9/5 5 5Herd Immunity (KY) Abel Cedillo 120 Peter Miller 7/2 6 6Weston (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Ryan Hanson 5/1 7 7Girther (FL) Ricardo Gonzalez 120 Peter Miller 6/1
