Bacio Ends Wesley Ward's Long Wait In Nunthorpe Stakes
Bacio Storms The Nunthorpe Stakes
“He’s just so fast that it doesn’t matter what he runs on,” Wesley Ward's daughter-in-law, Caitlin Ward said afterwards. “He just skips over the surface and he’s a classic turf sprinter.”
And true to form, Bacio made every yard under Juan Hernandez seem effortless, securing the Gr.1 Nunthorpe Stakes' crown at York Racecourse on 21 August 2026. The win delivered the trainer a Group One success that had eluded him for more than a decade. The result came on the third day of York's four-day Ebor Festival.
The feature was run over five furlongs on good-to-soft ground at York Racecourse, where the 3YO colt trained by Ward, made all to win by a length and a quarter from Starlust, with Rumstar a nose back in third to collect the US$171,570 (£129,000) and US$85,865 (£64,560) portions of the US$798,000 (£600,000) purse. Owned by Myracehorse, Gladwell, Dailey and Dejablu and bred by Torie Gladwell, Cincinnati Equine and Borrowd, Bacio's winning time of 59.42 seconds was the slowest for the race since 2006, well outside the course record of 55.90 seconds that Battaash set in 2019.
Juan Hernandez described the display in the immediate aftermath. "That was some performance. All the credit goes to Bacio. I'm just happy to be here, enjoying the moment," he said.
Bacio broke well from stall five and set a hard pace from the gates, with Night Raider tracking him closely as the pair drew clear of the field. Night Raider faded inside the final two furlongs, while Starlust made headway from midfield, switching left approximately a furlong out to claim second inside the final 110 yards. Rumstar, held up towards the rear for much of the contest, finished fastest of all to snatch third by a nose. Bacio was never seriously challenged through the middle stages and had the race in hand long before the line. Ralph Beckett, whose Starlust chased the winner home, saw his runner denied by a length and a quarter. Time For Sandals took fourth under K Shoemark for trainer Harry Eustace, with Rayevka fifth, ahead of Jm Jungle, Cover Up, Heavenly Heather, Redorange, American Affair, Ain't Nobody, Pershaada, Partisan Hero, Mission Central, Azure Angel and Fitzella completing the field.
"I've got this off my bucket list. This is one I've had in mind for quite a long time now to get it done," Wesley Ward said. "We all thought the great Frankie Dettori had done it when he stood up and put his whip in the air, but it was so close that day I was thinking the opposite. To finally get this race knocked off the list is huge in a huge year for me. It's unbelievable."
The victory was Ward's first Nunthorpe success after finishing second with Acapulco in 2015 and Lady Aurelia in 2017, near-misses that had left the Kentucky-based trainer chasing British racing's one major prize still to elude him. The result added to a landmark record at Royal Ascot too, where Ward has now saddled 13 winners since 2009, even as the Nunthorpe kept slipping from his grasp. Bacio arrived unbeaten in four of his five starts, his form building through the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot, where he won by nearly four lengths on his most recent start.
He Popped Out Like A Bunny Rabbit
"He ran great, he broke out of the gate really well, really sharp and he was ready to go. When the gate opened, he was all fire. He was trying to go too early, but I was able to take him back a little bit and save him for the last part," Juan Hernandez said.
Wesley Ward watched the race from his base at Keeneland in Kentucky rather than at York. "I found a quiet place to watch him. As he was in the gate and was sprawled out behind, I was a little worried he was going to come out sideways, but he just popped out of there like a bunny rabbit," he said. "There was a bit of an unknown in how he would handle the ground, but in America he's got feet that would go in the mud. Some of them pop out and get beat early on, but this guy just kept on going."
Bacio, which means kiss in Italian is slated for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on 31 October.
Segal Brands British Sprinters Dire
Racing pundit Tom Segal was blunt about the state of the home sprint division after the race. "Bacio was really good but how bad are our sprinters? They're a dire bunch," Segal said. "It's a bit depressing watching all these horses come from across the world and win. I don't know how good Bacio is, he's obviously very fast but he doesn't have to be very good to beat our mob."
The result also closed a chapter for Asfoora, an 8YO mare, three-time Group One winner and last year's Nunthorpe Stakes winner, who finished eighth in the final run of her career before being retired on the day. "We've had an amazing journey after three years and sadly all good things come to an end," trainer Henry Dwyer said. "She didn't really enjoy the ground but she tried her hardest. It's time to find another one now."
Juan Hernandez did not linger to celebrate, leaving York by helicopter immediately after the race to catch a flight home in time to ride in the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar the following day. "I want to say thanks to Wesley Ward for bringing me here, assistant Blake, the groom, they do a really beautiful job with this horse," Hernandez said. "It's my first win here but hopefully I can come back again. It's really special. It's something I never imagined before when I started riding back in Mexico but I'm really happy and this race is for America and all of my family."
The win earns Bacio an automatic, fees-paid berth in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on 31 October 2026 through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. "We're counting on coming back to his home track at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup and then on to Australia for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes," Wesley Ward said. "The Breeders' Cup is our next target, but Australia is the one I'm really looking forward to." Ward hopes to start the colt in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in Australia early next year. For now the unbeaten 3YO is headed towards Keeneland with the Ward's long wait for a Nunthorpe Stakes winner finally over. Starlust and Rumstar could not match his pace from the front, and Asfoora's farewell run closed out a Nunthorpe Day dominated by the American raider from gate to line.
Nunthorpe Stakes: 06:35 GST (3:35 BST) | Group One Flat | FOR 2YO+ | Thoroughbred | Turf | 1006m | US$798,000 (£600,000) | Rail Position: NA | Track Condition: Good To Soft | Safety Limit: NA | Track Record: Battaash, 55.90s, 23 August 2019 | Prize Breakdown: 1st US$452,546 (£340,260.00) | 2nd US$171,570 (£129,000.00) | 3rd US$85,865 (£64,560.00) | 4th US$42,773 (£32,160.00) | 5th US$21,466 (£16,140.00) | 6th US$10,773 (£8,100.00)
Nunthorpe Stakes: 1 Bacio (T: Wesley A Ward / J: Juan J Hernandez) | 2 Starlust (T: Ralph M Beckett / J: Rossa Ryan) | 3 Rumstar (T: Jonathan Portman / J: Rob Hornby)