Skara Brae Battles Males in Royal Ascot Qualifier

Trainer Wesley Ward hardly entered Ten Broeck Farm's Skara Brae in the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes May 9 at Gulfstream Park by accident. Although the daughter of Ashford Stud's freshman sire Golden Pal is eligible to run in the co-featured $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes, her trainer firmly believes she is more than up to the challenge of beating the boys. "I think it's an advantage to run fillies against the colts," Ward said, pointing to their precociousness. "If you look at grade school, the girls come around quicker. You see it at 2-year-olds in training sales—the majority of the fastest horses will be fillies. It's just that they come around quicker mentally. I personally like to run my better fillies against the colts." The winners of both the Royal Palm Juvenile and the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a pair of 5-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-olds, will each earn an automatic entry into one of six juvenile stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting (June 16-20) at Ascot Racecourse and a $25,000 equine travel stipend. Skara Brae, the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine, will be making her first start on turf Saturday after offering a dazzling 4 1/2-length front-running debut victory in an open maiden special weight race over Keeneland's main track. READ: Golden Pal's Skara Brae Victorious at Keeneland Joao Moreira was named to ride Skara Brae and Ward-trained Joker's Chic in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, but the international star was unable to get released from commitments in Hong Kong. Joe Bravo will ride both horses, Ward reported. Trainer George Weaver, who saddled Sandal's Song for a debut victory in last year's Royal Palm Juvenile, will be represented this year by Dew Sweepers' Automatic Press. The son of Vekoma prompted the early pace before fading out of the money while debuting at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Keeneland. Dew Sweepers will also be represented in the Royal Palm Juvenile by Celtic Dispute, a daughter of Leinster who has been rated second at 3-1 on the morning line. The Patrick Biancone-trained filly disputed the pace from the rail throughout her 4 1/2-furlong debut over Gulfstream's main track before settling for second behind Boots, who is entered in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies. Braums Run, Jost a Chance Yadi, and Iolana are other leading contenders. Ascot Opportunity Lands EasY Life in Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Weaver sends out Easy Life in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies with the hope that the filly owned by R. A. Hill Stable, BlackRidge Stables, and SGV Thoroughbreds is destined for a future on turf. "We don't know if she is turf or dirt to be perfectly honest with you, but we're going to ask her to turf to see if she can run at Royal Ascot," Weaver said. Weaver has enjoyed considerable success in Gulfstream's Royal Palm stakes since their inception in 2023, when he saddled Crimson Advocate for a Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies victory and No Nay Mets (IRE) for a win in the Royal Palm Juvenile. Crimson Advocate went on to capture the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Ascot Racecourse. No Nay Mets ran off the board in the Norfolk Stakes (G2). "It's a very, very hard place to win. It's some of the best racing in the world that you can get. It's not only great racing, it's a great social scene, a great atmosphere," said Weaver, who won the Royal Palm Juvenile last year with Sandal's Song, who went on to finish third in the Norfolk at Royal Ascot. "When you're there, you feel like you're participating in something special." Easy Life, a daughter of 2022 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) winner and WinStar Farm freshman sire Life Is Good, was purchased out of the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $300,000 after breezing a furlong in :09 4/5. "She came out of the 2-year-old sale and had a nice breeze over there. She's got some speed and we've been having a little progress with her since we got her," Weaver said. J.G. Torrealba has the mount on the filly who is priced at 6-1 on the morning line. The Ward-trained Joker's Chic enters the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies after a single race, however disappointing her fourth-place finish may have been. Twin Oaks Bloodstock's daughter of Practical Joke had trained sharply in preparation for her debut, particularly at Palm Meadows Training Center on grass. Joker's Chic, a $200,000 purchase at the 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, prompted the early pace in her debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden test over Keeneland's main track before fading to fourth under Irad Ortiz Jr. "When she ran, I was pretty confident with her. She broke and Irad had her in a beautiful position, but she didn't make that explosive move she made at Palm Meadows," Ward said. "I told the owner, 'This must be a grass filly.' If she runs back to her work at Palm Meadows, she's going to be double tough to beat." Dew Sweepers' Pot's Right has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of nine fillies on the strength of her debut victory at Keeneland. The daughter of Bolt d'Oro overcame a slow start to rally for a 1 1/4-length debut victory in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden test on dirt, defeating Joker's Chic in that race. The Philip Antonacci-trained filly returned to Palm Meadows to become acquainted with turf during a 4-furlong breeze last week. Luis Saez will ride Pot's Right for the first time Saturday.