At age 78, trainer Dennis Ward is coming out of retirement. Ward, the father of trainer Wesley Ward, will start his first horse in nearly 19 months Wednesday when he runs Bahamian Moon, a 7-year-old mare, against males in the five-furlong turf sprint allowance/optional-claiming feature at Tampa Bay Downs. Bahamian Moon will be Ward’s first starter since May 5, 2023, when Great Britain finished second at Tampa. Ward said he retired because of the way the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, racing’s new regulatory body, was operating. “The way they enforced things, the things they did to people that didn’t do anything,” Ward said. “It’s opened up a little bit more, it seems.” Ward said he will ultimately have eight horses stabled at Tampa and will look to do some claiming as well. Bahamian Moon has run a few good races at Tampa, winning this same second-level allowance/optional $32,000 claiming race going five furlongs on turf last December when in the barn of trainer Robert Smith. She also was third against males on dirt before finishing second in two more turf sprints at Tampa against females. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Bahamian Moon made four starts at Gulfstream Park during the spring and summer for Ronald Spatz with a second- and a third-place finish to show for it. Wednesday will be her first start since Aug. 23, and she will have the services of seven-pound apprentice Sara Hess, who won a race each of the first two days of this meet and has 22 career victories from 306 mounts. Ward, who has 1,062 career wins, according to Equibase, previously trained Bahamian Moon for 15 starts from Feb. 17, 2021, through March 25, 2023. Ward won four times with the daughter of Bahamian Squall, who has a second and a third in two previous starts against males. “Truthfully, I’m running her to get a race in her, there’s not a race for her til the end of December,” Ward said. “I don’t expect her to win, but she’ll run good.” There is plenty of depth to this field with Cotton, a winner at Woodbine for optional $50,000 claiming last out likely the one to beat. Cotton, a 6-year-old gelding by Twirling Candy, is a nine-time winner. Terri Pompay sends out Jetaros, who is coming off two runner-up finishes in allowance company at Colonial Downs which followed a win for $16,000 claiming in his first start off a year layoff. Capture the Time finished second in a starter allowance at The Meadowlands last out, but will have to deal with post 10. The race drew 14 runners, but is limited to 10 starters. Fulanito would need three scratches to draw in from the also-eligible list, but despite his modest 1-for-5 record, he would be a player if he does. Nutella Fella back in training Nutella Fella, the 2023 Grade 1 Hopeful winner, is on the comeback trail. Nutella Fella had his fourth workout of the fall last Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, going a half-mile in 50 seconds. That was his second work at Tampa, which followed a pair of workouts at Saratoga, moves that trainer Gary Contessa called pedestrian. “His first work at Tampa he went 37 and one, out in 48, 1:02 and 2,” Contessa said. “The other day he went a half in 50, out in 1:02 and 1:14 and 4. He’s doing really, really well.” Nutella Fella, who won the Hopeful at odds of 54-1, suffered an ankle injury preparing for the Champagne in 2023. In his only start this year, Nutella Fella finished third on June 8 at Saratoga in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, 1 3/4 lengths behind Book’em Danno. He emerged from that race with a re-aggravation of the ankle injury, which Contessa termed bone-bruising. The first sprint stakes at Tampa in 2025 is the $125,000 Pelican on Feb. 8, but Contessa wasn’t committing to making that. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  “I don’t want to feel like I’m pointing to a race,” Contessa said. “My goal for the year is to make him one of the top sprinters in the country.” Other horses Contessa has at Tampa are Another Cleeshay, a New York-bred filly who finished fourth in the Frizette, and Epitaph, a debut-winning New York-bred by Country House, who finished third in the Grade 3 Futurity. Another Cleeshay is pointing to the $125,000 Sandpiper Stakes on Dec. 7. Contessa said he hopes to do some claiming at Tampa and bring a string of about 20 back to New York in the spring. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.