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| Wesley Ward photo by Tod Marks |
Wesley Ward won the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this week with Hootenanny, a 2 year old son of Quality Road, ridden by Victor Espinoza. Hootenanny had to defeat an exceptionally large field of 24 rivals. He did it easily by 3 1/2 lengths. What an amazing feat, in what is now becoming a regular June sojourn for one Wesley Ward. I have to admit I smiled a little upon hearing the news. This is Wesley's 4th win at the very prestigious Royal Ascot meet since 2009, and he is now being referred to as the American "raider," after flying across the pond to steal yet another purse from the Brits.
But I have another thought. What if Wesley Ward is not a "raider" at all and is just living his destiny. Could he possibly have dreamed as a young boy that he would win the 1984 Eclipse award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey? He has. Could he possibly have imagined that one day as a trainer he would win 4 times with 2 year old horses at the grandest turf racing festival in the world, Royal Ascot. He has. And could he possibly have thought when he was a young boy in Selah, Washington that he would meet the Queen of England someday? He has. Maybe it was meant to be, but why?
I'm sure Wesley learned from his father what I learned from my father. Anything is possible if you believe. I know this because I watched Wesley believe he could win every race in the early 1980's at the now closed Yakima Meadows. I watched how he and his father Dennis Ward, who provided me with many a winner over the years, treated the horses with love and respect. Though he is a long way from Selah right now, I would say he's succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Or was it destiny.
But I have another thought. What if Wesley Ward is not a "raider" at all and is just living his destiny. Could he possibly have dreamed as a young boy that he would win the 1984 Eclipse award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey? He has. Could he possibly have imagined that one day as a trainer he would win 4 times with 2 year old horses at the grandest turf racing festival in the world, Royal Ascot. He has. And could he possibly have thought when he was a young boy in Selah, Washington that he would meet the Queen of England someday? He has. Maybe it was meant to be, but why?
I'm sure Wesley learned from his father what I learned from my father. Anything is possible if you believe. I know this because I watched Wesley believe he could win every race in the early 1980's at the now closed Yakima Meadows. I watched how he and his father Dennis Ward, who provided me with many a winner over the years, treated the horses with love and respect. Though he is a long way from Selah right now, I would say he's succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Or was it destiny.
For Wesley Ward the Sport of Kings,
it appears, comes down to one thing: “I
just love the horses,” he said. “I really
love what I do. The one thing about
racing is, you always have something to
look forward to no matter how down you
are.” He pauses slightly and then adds,
Don't
Ever
Stop
Trying
It's
Not
Yet over
William King
William King
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