Love Reigns Ready to Rebound in Bolton Landing

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 at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 21.

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 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) June 15 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.

Another runner returning from an overseas bid is the Speightstown   filly Grand Oak . She finished 18th last time out in the Queen Mary while under the care of trainer Rusty Arnold. The Royal Ascot effort came on the heels of a second-out maiden score sprinting five furlongs over the Churchill Downs turf May 20 in her grass debut.

Since that effort, Grand Oak was purchased by Herringswell Racing Club II at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale for $210,000 from the Grovendale Sales consignment. She races for Herringswell and Carl and Yurie Pascarella.

Cross entered in Saturday's $125,000 Catch a Glimpse Stakes at Woodbine, Grand Oak will make her first start for trainer Graham Motion.

Entries: Bolton Landing S.

Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 21, 2022, Race 9

• STK
• 5 1/2f
• Turf
• $150,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:35 PM (local)

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