Ez Tina Headlines Ward Trio in Ascot's Norfolk

Wesley Ward marked his return to Royal Ascot with a brilliant winner in Bacio June 19. Now he runs three in the 5-furlong Norfolk Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds June 20 at Ascot Racecourse. Ruiva ran admirably when third in the June 17 Queen Mary Stakes (G2), but Ward has kept hold of three fillies to take on the colts here. The pick of the three on paper, and also based on what has been seen in Newmarket in recent weeks, is the strapping Ez Tina, but she could be the worst drawn of the lot in stall 3. A daughter of the Ward-trained dual Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal, Ez Tina was the only juvenile out of Ward's party afforded access to the July course in Newmarket where she did not disappoint in a workout with an older stablemate. Prior to shipping in, Breeze Easy and Resolution Road Stables' Ez Tina had made all to win a 5-furlong maiden by 4 3/4 lengths on Tapeta last month at Woodbine. Ward, who has won the Norfolk Stakes twice previously, most recently with the filly Shang Shang Shang in 2018, also fields Hat Creek Racing's Fanshell Beach and Through the Years (IRE), who is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Mrs. M.V. Magnier, Linda Shanahan, RT Racing, and Twin Oaks. Ward said: "I don't mind running fillies against the colts as they get the weight break and it's like children in school, the girls are always a little bit ahead of the boys. If you go to the 2-year-old sales in America, the fastest works are often the fillies over the colts." He said of his team: "Ez Tina is drawn over on the fence but she's a big filly with a high cruising speed, so when the speedsters have had enough she'll keep that big steady pace going. "Through the Years has done nothing wrong and she got beat on the line in her first start when the jockey was trying to give her an easy win but didn't see the other horse coming. She then came back and broke the track record at Aqueduct. "Fanshell Beach won a maiden on the dirt at Churchill Downs and is out of an Unusual Heat mare. Unusual Heat is an amazing stallion, as you could send a $500 mare to him and you would get a runner." It goes without saying that the most obvious threat comes from the all-conquering Ballydoyle team in Carry The Flag (IRE). By the in-form sire No Nay Never, the colt's form ties closely with the June 16 Coventry Stakes (G2) scorer Great Barrier Reef (IRE) and Albany Stakes (G3) runner-up Sun Goddess (IRE), with all three trained by Aidan O'Brien. The colt, a €250,000 Goffs Orby Book 1 purchase, defeated Sun Goddess in a Naas maiden before finishing second to Great Barrier Reef in the Marble Hill Stakes (G3) in his last start. O'Brien also starts a Kentucky-bred son of No Nay Never in New Yorker. "Carry The Flag is in good form and we were very happy with his run at the Curragh the last day," O'Brien said. "He's a fast colt and we don't think dropping back to 5 (furlongs) will be a disadvantage and New Yorker is in good form too so hopefully they can run well." The Norfolk Stakes is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race, awarding a fees-paid "Win & You're In" berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) Oct. 30 at Keeneland.