Ward Has The Everest In His Sights

[Wandering Eyes]

Wesley Ward has become somewhat of a pioneer among his North American training colleagues by successfully targeting Royal Ascot on multiple occasions over the last five years or so and the trainer is eyeing an even bigger international target later this year in The Everest at Randwick in October. Ward has already nominated two candidates for the A$10m event in Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) and Bound For Nowhere (The Factor) but the pair must first come through their annual trip to Britain for the Royal Meeting next month before plans for Australia begin taking shape. “The Everest is at the forefront of what we want to do,” Ward told racenet.com.au. “I got a call from one the owners of Lady Aurelia, Barbara Banke and she has her eye on it as well, so both Lady Aurelia and Bound For Nowhere are definitely candidates,” he added.

Lady Aurelia is seeking a Royal Ascot hat trick next month when she bids for back to back wins in the G1 King’s Stand S. over five furlongs and her trainer believes the Everest trip of six furlongs won’t pose any problems for the 4-year-old, who finished second on her seasonal debut in a listed race at Keeneland last month. “Lady Aurelia has been out to six furlongs in the [G1] Prix Morny [at Deauville]. As convincing as she was in winning the Queen Mary over five she wasn’t as convincing in the Morny at six furlongs but that was as a two-year-old and that was coming off a big performance where she may have bounced a little bit. Also from what I gather from Australian racing it isn’t like Royal Ascot where it is a really stiff six furlongs,” Ward said.

Bound For Nowhere, a $310,000 Keeneland yearling purchase, races in Ward’s own colours and he ran a respectable fourth to Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot last year over six furlongs. He showed he could have developed into a potential top class sprinter with an impressive four length win in the GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland in April and Ward is hoping the colt can book his ticket to The Everest with a prominent showing at Ascot. “Bound For Nowhere will be in the [G1] Diamond Jubilee, the six furlong race. I think he was bit unseasoned when we went over last year, he had only had two runs and now that he’s got the seasoning underneath him and he’s got that explosive race in him I think he’s going to run a big race.”

 

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