Ruiva Resurfaces at Del Mar After Royal Ascot Adventure

Round and round Ruiva goes, already a world traveler at 2, with stops so far in Kentucky and Great Britain before landing at Del Mar this weekend to face a tidy group of local fillies in the $150,000 Sorrento Stakes (G3) at 6 furlongs on the afternoon of Aug. 9. The daughter of Munnings, bred and owned by Three Chimneys Farm, was last seen finishing third in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) June 17 during the Royal Ascot meet. Ruiva was beaten only 2 lengths by Victorious (IRE), another young monster from the powerhouse Coolmore stable trained by Aidan O'Brien. It should come as no surprise that Ruiva is trained by Wesley Ward, who has made a career out of fruitful raids to British targets. With Ruiva, Ward is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sunset Glow, the daughter of Exchange Rate who finished second in the 2014 Albany Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot, then resumed her stateside career with a victory in the Sorrento and the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1). "This filly has done everything right," Ward said of Ruiva. "She ran a great race at Ascot, and I really don't think she's a grass horse. If you catch Ascot when it's firm, sometimes you can get a dirt horse who'll run on it." The main track does seem to be Ruiva's game, at least on the evidence of her debut April 29 at Churchill Downs when she won a 4 1/2-furlong maiden race by 7 lengths over a sloppy surface. After that, it was off to England. She resumed serious training July 9 at Keeneland with a half-mile drill and has added three works since. "It's not as tough a trip over there as you would think," Ward said. "In fact, it's a lot easier to get to Newmarket from Kentucky than it is to Saratoga. There's no fighting the road. You just jump on a plane, and you're pretty much there." Ruiva arrived at Del Mar one week before the Sorrento under the supervision of Ward's longtime assistant, Blake Heap, and their veteran groom, Jose Reveles. She will break from post position 4. Juan Hernandez rode Ruiva at Ascot, but he is committed for the Sorrento to the Bob Baffert filly Holmby, a maiden winner on Del Mar's opening weekend. Mike Smith will take over aboard Ward's filly. The rest of the Sorrento field includes Dash, a half sister to Velocity, winner of the 2025 Del Mar Oaks (G1T); Blockade, an 8-length maiden winner at Los Alamitos Race Course in June; and the Peter Miller-trained pair of Belleza Latina and Crazy Hot Mess, both returning to his California stable after maiden victories in Kentucky.