Trainer Wesley Ward, who has won four of the seven runnings of the $150,000 Bolton Landing Stakes, will have two chances to extend his record when saddling Stonestreet Stables' Love Reigns and No Kay Never in the 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for juvenile fillies Aug. 21 at Saratoga Race Course.
Love Reigns, an Irish-bred daughter of U S Navy Flag, graduated by 9 3/4 lengths in her April debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the Keeneland turf ahead of a close fourth last out in the June 15 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot.
Ward said Love Reigns needed time to recuperate after her overseas venture.
"She ran good, but she got a little sick after the race and missed a little bit of time," Ward said. "You never know with 2-year-olds when they get sick if they're going to come back. She had some nice works going into the race at Ascot, but you want everything to go perfect and I don't know if it had any impact or not. You end up searching for why she didn't run as well as she did in the Ascot race, but then again it is Royal Ascot and you can't take anything away from the filly that won because she ran phenomenal."
Ward said Love Reigns has thrived at Saratoga where she has now breezed four times over the Oklahoma training turf, including a half-mile work in :48.66 Aug. 12.
"She's doing great," Ward said. "She's had no hiccups since Ascot and we're looking forward to getting her back."
Ward will also saddle No Kay Never, an Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never, who graduated gate-to-wire against the boys on May 30 at Horseshoe Indianapolis sprinting five furlongs over good going.
"She's kind of a small filly but in the morning she's an overachiever and shows really nice works," Ward said. "We took her to Indiana on the grass and she just bounced right out of there and kicked right on. She did everything really professional like she always does. And then we gave her a little time. She's a real hard-trying little filly and bred real well."
Out of the Acclamation mare Sutton Veny, No Kay Never is a half sister to True Valour, a multiple group/graded stakes winner who was most recently a gallant runner-up to Ward's stable star Golden Pal in the Aug. 5 Troy Stakes (G3T) at the Spa.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will pilot Love Reigns from post 2, while Tyler Gaffalione will guide No Kay Never from post 3.
Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 21, 2022, Race 9Entries: Bolton Landing S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sicilian Grandma (KY) Eric Cancel 120 Thomas Morley 20/1 2 2Love Reigns (IRE) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Wesley A. Ward 2/1 3 3No Kay Never (IRE) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Wesley A. Ward 8/1 4 4Kerry (NY) Joel Rosario 122 Christophe Clement 6/1 5 5Grand Oak (IRE) Manuel Franco 122 H. Graham Motion 8/1 6 6Aztec Nights (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 122 Wayne M. Catalano 10/1 7 7Redifined (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Anthony W. Dutrow 8/1 8 8Danse Macabre (KY) Luis Saez 122 Kelsey Danner 5/1 9 9Sweet Harmony (KY) Javier Castellano 122 John P. Terranova, II 8/1 10 10Motown Mischief (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Timothy E. Hamm 20/1
