Wesley Ward’s star juvenile filly Satisfied Mind will look to punch her ticket to Royal Ascot in Saturday’s $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park, following her commanding debut victory at Keeneland.
The Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a five-furlong turf sprint, offers the winner a coveted automatic entry into one of six prestigious juvenile stakes at Royal Ascot in June, along with a $25,000 travel stipend. It co-headlines Saturday’s 10-race card with the Royal Palm Juvenile for colts and geldings.
Ward, already the most successful American trainer at Royal Ascot with 12 career wins, sees Satisfied Mind as his next transatlantic contender. The daughter of First Samurai made an instant impression on April 16, capturing a 4½-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland by 3¼ lengths despite having just four lifetime workouts and a brief illness prior to the race.
“She’s a talented filly. From what I saw from her, I didn’t want to keep breezing because she was so quick,” said Ward. “What impressed me is that she won off just four works and a setback before the race.”
Satisfied Mind, owned by Hat Creek Racing, will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo from post 4 in a full field of 14 fillies. Though her debut came on dirt, Ward believes she’ll be even better on turf.
“I always thought she was going to be a grass filly. This race was the plan for her second start,” he said. “Gatewood Bell buys these fillies hoping to get to Royal Ascot. There’s nothing like it.”
Ward became the first American trainer to win at Royal Ascot in 2009 and has dominated with speed-oriented juveniles since. His second entrant on the day, gelding Fuzzy Stare, will run in the Royal Palm Juvenile.
Among Satisfied Mind’s key challengers is Lennilu, trained by Patrick Biancone, who also impressed with a debut win at Keeneland over a sloppy track. Luis Saez retains the mount from post 6. Biancone is also considering Emerald Ember for a start, pending a final gate test.
Other contenders include NONNA’S LOVE from Todd Pletcher’s barn, Bohemian for MHM Stables, and several high-priced first-time starters, including Bibi Dahl, a $1.35 million daughter of American Pharoah trained by Jorge Delgado.
With Royal Ascot aspirations on the line, the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies sets the stage for SATISFIED MIND to join the ranks of Ward’s elite juveniles to have conquered England’s hallowed turf.
