Ward Duo Aims to Give Trainer Third Kentucky Juvenile

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Ward Duo Aims to Give Trainer Third Kentucky Juvenile
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Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Nayibeth is one of two Wesley Ward trainees entered in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs

Trainer Wesley Ward has entered a pair of fillies in the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes May 1, Churchill Downs' first stakes of the year for 2-year-olds, in recent maiden winners Marva and Nayibeth.

The pair will contest Wednesday's five-furlong race as part of a field that drew just three colts and six fillies in total.

Ward, who won the race with fillies Silvertoni in 2016 and Aegean in 2009, is the breeder and owner of Marva who finished in a dead-heat victory April 11 in her debut going 4 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream Park. Since shipping north, the Florida-bred Iqbaal filly breezed four furlongs April 23 at Churchill Downs in :48 1/5.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount on Marva who drew post 2.

Owned by Ramon Tallaj, Nayibeth broke her maiden by 4 1/4 lengths in her April 17 debut at Keeneland, where she became the first winner for freshman sire Carpe Diem . The half sister to grade 2 winner and sire Soldat  was a $230,000 purchase by agent Ben McElroy from the Denali Stud consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

Joel Rosario has the mount and will break from post 6.

Savannah Goebel's Mean Sophia made herself one to watch among the group of maiden winners in the Kentucky Juvenile when the daughter of Smarty Jones  romped by 10 1/2 lengths over a field of 12 in her April 4 debut at Keeneland. 

Trained by Cirilo Gorostieta, Mean Sophia has only one official timed work on record from when she breezed four furlongs in a bullet :48 2/5 at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington March 22. 

Agustin Gomez is slated to again be aboard Mean Sophia Wednesday.

The field for the Kentucky Juvenile contains several first out winners, and two colts—Alec and Arthur and Rookie Salsa—will share top weight of 120 pounds, giving the others a two to five pound difference. 

Hat Creek Racing's Alec and Arthur won an April 10 maiden race at Keeneland for trainer John Hancock, while Rookie Salsa took an April 19 maiden race at Laurel Park for owners Designated Hitters Racing and trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer.


Entries: Kentucky Juvenile S.

Churchill Downs, Wednesday, May 01, 2019, Race 9

  • STK
  • 5f
  • Dirt
  • $125,000
  • 2 yo
  • 4:52 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Two Dot (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 118 John A. Hancock 15/1
2 2Marva (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 117 Wesley A. Ward 10/1
3 3Clongiffen (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jack Gilligan 115 John Ennis 30/1
4 4Alec and Arthur (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Albin Jimenez 120 John A. Hancock 10/1
5 5Rookie Salsa (FL) Angel Suarez 120 Jeremiah O'Dwyer 15/1
6 6Nayibeth (KY) Joel Rosario 117 Wesley A. Ward 8/5
7 7Mean Sophia (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Agustin Gomez 117 Cirilo Gorostieta 5/2
8 8Twirling Owen (WV) Jevian Toledo 117 Anthony Farrior 3/1
9 9Secretly Wicked (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate James Graham 117 Jack L. Hancock 20/1