Ward Has Multiple Chances for Fourth Bolton Landing Win

Trainer Wesley Ward has won half of the first six runnings of the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, and he'll send out maiden winners Poppy Flower  and Chi Town Lady  in the seventh running Aug. 18. The 2-year-old fillies will try to rise up into the stakes ranks as part of a large field assembled for the $120,000 race run at 5 1/2 furlongs on the inner turf.

Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower ensured the third time the charm when leading at every point of call in a six-furlong maiden special weight June 20 on the Widener turf at Belmont Park. In her previous effort, she was a distant second to stablemate Twilight Gleaming , who subsequently finished second in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot June 16 and won the Prix de la Vallee d'Auge Aug. 7 at Deauville. 

Since late July, Poppy Flower has worked consistently over the Oklahoma training turf course. The daughter of Lea   went four furlongs in :48.24 Aug. 13. 

"I think she gets better as she gets older," Ward said. "She's been there and kind of a hardy filly. Never had any issues to deal with and keeps getting better every start. We're hoping we have a little luck."

Castleton Lyons' Chi Town Lady graduated on debut, capturing a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight April 11 at Keeneland. 

"She had a little bit of shin issues after that first race," Ward said. "Now, she's back and ready to go and we got our man Johnny V (Velazquez) back on her. Hopefully, we have a little luck with her as well."

Ward has also entered Averly Jane  and Golden Bell  for the main track only. 

Also saddling a pair of contenders is trainer Tom Amoss, who will debut Jeff Ganje's Cartel Queen  on the grass in her fourth start while sending out Ellis Park turf maiden winner Kneesnhips  for owner Joel Politi. 

Kneesnhips, a daughter of freshman stallion Connect  , made up considerable ground in her debut win July 4, where she scored as the lukewarm favorite. 

"She worked (Friday) morning on the dirt course even though we're looking at her for the grass, and it went well," Amoss said. "She ran great that first race. She didn't have a lot of speed that day at Ellis Park, but she stayed near the rail, which a lot of horses don't want to do. Everything went well."

Following a distant fifth in the Schuylerville Stakes (G3) on the Spa's opening day, Amoss searches for new tactics with Cartel Queen. 

The Cairo Prince   filly sported blinkers for the first time in the Schuylerville, which came after a 2 1/4-length score at second asking going five furlongs at Churchill Downs. 

Completing the field are New York-bred debut winner Derrynane , four-length first-out winner and Florida-bred Fulminate , debut Belmont maiden winner Charlee O , New York-bred first-out winner Flip My Id , Stand Up Comic  who is unbeaten in two starts on the main track, and maiden Landslid .

Entries: Bolton Landing S.

Saratoga Race Course, Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Race 9

• STK
• 5 1/2f
• Turf
• $120,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Cartel Queen (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Thomas M. Amoss	12/1
2	2Charlee O (KY)	Manuel Franco	122	Michelle Nevin	8/1
3	3Derrynane (NY)	Joel Rosario	122	Christophe Clement	5/1
4	4Flip My Id (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Michael J. Maker	8/1
5	5Poppy Flower (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Wesley A. Ward	5/2
6	6Stand Up Comic (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	12/1
7	7Kneesnhips (KY)	Eric Cancel	122	Thomas M. Amoss	10/1
8	8Fulminate (FL)	Luis Saez	122	Mark E. Casse	7/2
9	9Chi Town Lady (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Wesley A. Ward	8/1
10	10Landslid (KY)	Benjamin Hernandez	118	Rachael Keithan	50/1
11	11Averly Jane (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Wesley A. Ward	9/5
12	12Golden Bell (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Wesley A. Ward	4/1