The trailblazing U.S trainer is an 11-time Royal Ascot scorer and sends a speedy team of nine to Berkshire. U.S-based trainer Wesley Ward, an 11-time winner at Royal Ascot, has brought nine runners to this year’s meeting, including Campanelle who won last year’s Queen Mary Stakes. Ward talked to attheraces.com to go over his line-up for Royal Ascot 2021. KAUFYMAKER (Coventry Stakes): Daughter of Jimmy Creed, she smoked to a six and a quarter length victory in a four and a half furlong dirt race at Keeneland on April 15th. Her subsequent works on turf are why Ward opted to bring her to Ascot. “She was one I didn’t think would like the grass and she was my most impressive turf breezer the last two weeks,” Ward said. “She has a real, real, big long stride to her. Both times she worked on the grass she just ran away from her company, she’s got a beautiful mind on her to where she’s really relaxed, can do whatever you want. The way she moved on the grass I think she’s going to be one of my best chances.” NAPA SPIRIT (Coventry Stakes): Son of Invincible Spirit sold for 420,000 Euros at Goffs Orby sale, purchased by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables. On debut, going five and a half furlongs at Keeneland, he came from off the pace to win by one and a half lengths. “He’s always been a little bit of an overachiever,” Ward said. “He’s one who doesn’t show a lot in the mornings, but then we put him in the race and he ran away from them. I’m hoping we do the same when we get there.” MAVEN (King’s Stand Stakes): The first-ever winner sired by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Maven was scratched out of the Norfolk in 2019 due to Ward’s concerns over soft ground. Ward shipped him to France and won the Group 3 Prix du Bois before finishing tenth in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood. :: Get more content like this at At The Races After an allowance win at Keeneland in July 2020, the remainder of that year was poor for Maven. With one undescended testicle, the decision was made to geld Maven last autumn. In April, Maven made a smashing four-year-old debut sprinting on turf at Keeneland, winning a high-class allowance by two and a quarter lengths, a performance that earned him notably high speed figures. “With the bad weather they had in Kentucky, I only had time for a couple of works so I put him in not expecting him to win like he did - not expecting him to win at all - I just thought he’d run a good race because he runs well at his home track as all mine do,” Ward said. “Man, he just bounced to the front over a deep kind of a course, they came to him and he rebroke. I was like ‘Wow, I couldn’t believe it.’ “The speed figures were worthy of going to England so let me give him all the time,” Ward added. “If his works say he warrants going, we’re going to go. He outworked (Grade 1 winner) Kimari and if you outwork Kimari you’re worthy of going. I think he’s going to run a hell of a race.” TWILIGHT GLEAMING (Queen Mary Stakes): Irish-bred daughter of National Defense, also owned by Stonestreet Stables, finished second on debut on dirt at Keeneland. She came back a month later, and was a visually-impressive seven and a half length winner of a five-furlong maiden grass race at Belmont Park on May 9th. “Mentally, from what she learned from that first race it had her right on target when she won on her preferred surface on the grass,” Ward said. “It was a pretty impressive race. She’s heading into the race sound, ready to go, everything’s perfect.” RUTHIN (Windsor Castle Stakes): A Great Britain-bred daughter of Ribchester owned by Stonestreet Stables, Ruthin’s second stride out of the gate catapulted her to the lead and though she raced a bit greenly in the stretch, she was a dominant six-length winner over next-out winner Artos in a five and a half furlong turf race at Keeneland in April. “I think she was a little green the last part, she’s probably going to like five (furlongs) better than six,” Ward said. “She was floundering a little bit the last part; five-eighths-of-a-mile will hit her on the head.” LUCCI (Norfolk Stakes): Son of Not This Time was a three-length debut winner on turf at Belmont, beating just three opponents. He broke his maiden the same day that the filly Twilight Gleaming won her maiden by seven and a half lengths. “Him not having a race and to run the race he did as opposed to the filly who won and impressed everybody, but she had a race, so I was more impressed with him than her,” Ward said. Ward said that he had Ascot on his mind for Lucci before he ever ran. “Just the way his body is, he looks like a big old sprinter,” Ward said. NAKATOMI (Norfolk Stakes): A gelded son of Firing Line, he stalked and then passed the Ward-trained filly Happy Soul to win a four and a half furlong maiden race in the slop by two and a quarter lengths. Happy Soul has since come back to win a maiden race by eleven and three quarter lengths and the Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park by eleven and a half lengths. “He beat the filly on the square and he took the worst of it,” Ward said. “I planned on the Tremont (at Belmont on June 4th). We were going to see if he liked the grass. his first work he was gone, beautiful work. Second work, he emulated it, so he warranted going and I think he’s going to have a big chance.” GOLDEN BELL (Albany Stakes or Windsor Castle Stakes): Daughter of Uno sped away to a solid five and a quarter length debut victory on dirt at Keeneland, beating next out winner Cartel Queen  “She was probably my most impressive Keeneland winner,” Ward said. “There was a big question of the grass, especially being my most impressive two-year-old winner on the dirt.  The first breeze wasn’t an eye-opening breeze, it was an okay breeze. A lot of horses, the first time you breeze them on the grass they’re unsure of the surface. We breezed her back again and boom, she just ran away from them, a real eye-opening, great breeze. She learned a lot, got the footing down and she warranted going over there.” CAMPANELLE (Commonwealth Cup): Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac won the Queen Mary here in 2020 and came back to take the Group 1 Prix Morny in France before failing to stretch out to a mile when fourth in the Breeders’ Juvenile Fillies Turf. Was scheduled to make her three-year-old debut in the Limestone Turf Sprint at Keeneland on April 9th, but was scratched the morning of the race due to a stone bruise. “I probably would have preferred a race, but she bruised her heel,” Ward said. “We did all the necessary precautions, sent her for a bone scan, X-rayed her up and down, everything was clean. The filly’s doing fantastic now.”