Ward back in business at Ascot after objection drama

After a dramatic conclusion and anxious wait, Wesley Ward made a welcome return to the Royal Ascot winner’s enclosure as Bacio blazed a trail in the concluding Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap on Friday.

The 3-1 favourite looked to have given the American handler his 13th winner at the Royal meeting – and first since Campanelle in the 2021 Commonwealth Cup – when impressively making every yard in the hands of Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert’s pilot and riding his first winner at the marquee event.

However, having dropped an item of his kit in the rush to weigh in, the jockey weighed in light, leading to an objection from the clerk of the scales. But after a near 20-minute wait, the mystery was solved, much to the delight of connections.

“We were taking some pictures in here and when the horse jumped the over-girth fell off, so when he weighed back out the over-girth didn’t go through the scales,” said Ward. “When they found it in the winner’s circle they put it back on. We’re all good!

“I was wondering whether he could have cheeseburger on the way back in, but luckily all we needed was the over-girth, so it’s all good.

“This is the greatest place in the world to win a horse race. There’s nowhere like it. I knew I had to get here again after having so much success early on, we keep coming over and more Americans keep coming.

“That’s what Royal Ascot is about, the international competition. It’s so great to finally win a race here again.”

He added: “It was a little tense, we were holding our breath, but we didn’t have to worry.

“I did (expect him to win like that). I was so confident on this horse for this race, now we’re going to step it up and see what happens. He’s a beautiful horse, almost has an unblemished record.”

Ward has been a regular visitor to Royal Ascot since bursting onto the scene with a double in 2009, but missed the fixture altogether last year. Returning from his brief sabbatical with a crack team, Ward saw Ruiva finish third in the Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday and promised Bacio would be utilising his blistering pace.

His words would ring true as Hernandez bounced the son of Maclean’s Music out the stalls and routed the opposition, coming home three and three-quarter lengths clear of fellow US raider, George Weaver’s Sandal’s Song.

After surviving the deliberations, Hernandez said: “When we came back I dropped my over-girth and I was 1lb light.

“My horse was getting a little excited over there and I lost my girth and when I went round the back (of the rostrum) to weigh in I did not know that I had dropped it and that’s why I was light.

“They were checking my tack in the stewards’ (inquiry) and then I realised I didn’t have the over-girth, then I found it and weighed in again and everything was fine.

“It’s never happened to me; back in America I’m light as a jockey, but my horse was the best and he showed that today, so we have no need to cheat or lie, I ride like everyone else and my horse showed he was the best today.

“I’m really happy – this is one of my dreams to come here and ride. I’m just happy to be here and really grateful for the chance.”

Explaining the official outcome, Shaun Parker, head of stewarding at the British Horseracing Authority, said: “When the jockey got to the winner’s enclosure and we weighed him there on the scales it was established he was under weight and the clerk of the scales then took the jockey and all his equipment to the main scales in the weighing room to weigh him there.

“The exact same weight came up on the main scales and we then took all his equipment and himself directly into the stewards’ room without coming into contact with anyone else, opened the objection from the clerk of the scales saying he was under weight.

“When going through the questioning, the jockey established that his over-girth was not actually on the saddle and when we looked at the video footage of him coming off the track he clearly has the over-girth and clearly carried it during the race, and watching the footage we can see the over-girth going over to the one side and one of the stable lads unbeknown to jockey Hernandez, who has then walked to the scale and weighed in under-weight.

“We found the over-girth in the winner’s enclosure which we have taken directly to the equipment we had stored ourselves and when we put the equipment back together with the rider on the scales he was at the correct weight where we could clear him and that was what has transpired.

“Luckily in this particular instance we were able to get to the right solution and satisfy ourselves that the horse carried the right weight in the race which is the most important thing and on that basis we were able to clear the race.”