LEXINGTON, Ky. – Call them the Terminators.
The well-regarded Schwarzenegger broke his maiden in style with a stakes-record performance in the $300,000 Indian Summer Stakes, for 2-year-old turf sprinters, on Sunday at Keeneland. He capped off a solid opening weekend for jockey John Velazquez and trainer Wesley Ward.
Velazquez won seven races, four of them stakes, over the first three days of the front-loaded Keeneland meet known as Fall Stars. The majority of those came on a five-win Saturday, highlighted by a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity aboard Ted Noffey.
“It’s so exciting to be around at my age and get an opportunity from the trainers and owners, getting opportunities to ride these kinds of horses,” said Hall of Famer Velazquez, 53. “It’s exciting. It’s hard to be in the game, being competitive and winning races. It puts a fire on me, so it’s very nice.”
Meanwhile, Ward, who is based at Keeneland year-round and owns an adjacent farm, opened the meet with Nakatomi and Whatchatalkinabout running first and third in the Grade 2 Phoenix on Friday. He had two winners Saturday, both ridden by Velazquez, and, in addition to Schwarzenegger ($6.64), saddled third-place Rogue Legend in the Indian Summer. Elsewhere, Ward-trained No Nay Hudson won the Grade 2 Nearctic on Saturday at Woodbine, and he also had juveniles place in two graded stakes at Aqueduct.
Ward trains Schwarzenegger – whose red-hot sire, Not This Time, had four stakes winners over the weekend at Keeneland – for Coolmore, Mountmellick Farm, Brook Smith, and Resolution Road Stables.
“It’s so satisfying [to get the win], and the ownership group we have, it’s a great group, is very patient, which is good,” Ward said.
Patience was needed, as Schwarzenegger was entered but scratched a few times at Saratoga before finally making his debut near the end of the meet, on Aug. 29. He led by better than six lengths in the stretch, but was caught by a neck late by longshot Attfield.
“We couldn’t get the race to go, because every time he was in on the grass it rained; they took it off and we had to scratch,” Ward said. “Finally we got him in and he ran a good race, his first start, and that race really tightened him down. He really showed his true ability today.
As convoluted as it was getting Schwarzenegger to the races, that’s how straightforward his trip was Saturday. He broke like a shot under Velazquez and shrugged off early pressure through a zippy opening quarter of 21.17 on the very firm turf. The colt opened better than two lengths in the stretch, and lasted by a half-length at the wire. He stopped the clock in 1:02.28 for the 5 1/2 furlongs, just shading the 1:02.30 that Private Creed ran in winning the 2022 edition.
Behind Schwarzenegger, the battle was on for the placings. Obliteration, who was fifth with just more than a quarter-mile to run, finished well to be second by a neck over Rogue Legend. The latter nosed out Bobrovsky, who had a bit of traffic trouble while trying to advance along the inside.
Off this win, Schwarzenegger will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Oct. 31 at Del Mar – a spot where Ward feels the colt will relish the firm turf and the cutback to five furlongs.
Then, he’ll be back. Ward has already envisioned a winter break and spring prep that will lead the colt to a trip to the renowned Royal Ascot meeting next June in England.
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