Ward is a Bear Fan Fan

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 20, 2005) -- He grew up in a racing family, so it’s no surprise that Wesley Ward chose to make thoroughbreds his life’s work.

But few have been as involved as Ward in so many facets of the sport simultaneously on the major league level.

In his youth, he was an Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey, capturing 335 races and more than $5 million in purses in 1984.

Moving to Southern California the next year, he was aboard eventual 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand when the colt broke his maiden for trainer Charlie Whittingham.

Now 37, Ward has a resume that includes stakes victories as a trainer, owner and breeder.
What’s next? Taking out a veterinarian’s license?

“I’ve been fined a few times for using too much medication, so there are people who think maybe I was trying to be a vet,” the amiable Ward said with a laugh over the phone the other day from South Florida.

For three months, he has been preparing Bear Fan, a 6-year-old mare he bred, co-owns (in partnership with Peter Fan of Hong Kong) and trains, for a return engagement in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint.

The six-furlong race for California- and Florida-bred distaff sprinters will be contested at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29.

Leaving his other California-based runners home in the care of assistant trainer Blake Heap, Ward has been preparing Bear Fan, a daughter of 1992 Preakness winner Pine Bluff-Shezalong, by Shimatoree, at Palm Meadows, the Florida training center built by Frank Stronach.

Stronach also created the Sunshine Millions and is the owner of the event’s host tracks, Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

Bear Fan emerged as one of the country’s top sprinting mares in the country last year with four victories—three in Grade II stakes—in six starts.

She captured the Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel, as well as the Genuine Risk Handicap and the Vagrancy Handicap, both at Belmont Park. She goes into the Sunshine Millions with eight victories in 13 lifetime starts and $688,150 in purse earnings.

The way Ward figures it, Bear Fan should be trying for a repeat in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint. She ran third in the event last year, when it was run at Santa Anita.

“If you look at the tape, you can see that she was much the best that day,” Ward said. ”She had a terrible trip and still got beat less than two lengths.”

In her last three races of 2004, including a runner-up finish in the Grade II, $500,000 Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder last July 10, Bear Fan was ridden by John Velazquez, who will be aboard again on Jan. 29.

The mare’s regular workout rider is retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, who also is Velasquez’ agent.

“I rode every day against Angel when I had the bug,” Ward recalled. “He’s stayed in a lot better shape than I have. I weighed 98 pounds then, but I was already getting tall and I knew I wouldn’t be riding too many years. Now I’m 5-10 and I weigh about 200.”

Near the end of his career as a jockey, in 1989 in his native Seattle, Ward tried to maintain his riding weight by running long distances every day. “I don’t know how I kept up that kind of pace as long as I did,” he said.

He is starting to step up the pace as a breeder, with mares in California and Florida. But he intends to keep training.

“I like to be hands-on with all my horses,” Ward pointed out.

Shezalong, Bear Fan’s 15-year-old dam, has had only six foals in a broodmare career that began in 1995. After she dropped Bear Fan, she was bred to Golden Eagle Farm’s General Meeting and twice to Tejano Run. None of the resulting foals, all colts, has approached the racing success of Bear Fan.

Ward expects to continue in his multiple equine careers and looks forward to eventually breeding Bear Fan.

“She’s lightly raced for her age,” he said. “I think she’ll race through this year but maybe longer than that.”
—Larry Bortstein