Arnold expects Wild Shot to be on the lead in Blue Grass
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The past performance lines for CALUMET FARM’S Wild Shot prominently display the names of Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) rivals McCraken and Tapwrit.
On Saturday, the Rusty Arnold trainee will try again against the two race favorites on the morning line.
“I thought we would make our stand here where he ran his best race,” Arnold said of Wild Shot, who finished third to champion Classic Empire in last fall’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) here.
“I could have ducked them (at Tampa), but Mr. (Brad) Kelley (owner of Calumet) has horses running all over,” Arnold said. “He has Sonneteer, who was second in the Rebel (G2) and going to the Arkansas Derby (G1), the horse that was second in the TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) (Patch) and he’s got one (True Timber) running in the Wood (Memorial on Saturday). I had nowhere else to run.”
After the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, Wild Shot finished second to McCraken, beaten 1¼ lengths, in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs and then finished 3½ lengths behind McCraken and two behind Tapwrit when fourth in the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs.
Wild Shot enters the track for the 2016 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity during Keeneland's Fall Meet
In the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), Wild Shot finished third, six lengths behind Tapwrit. In both Tampa races, Wild Shot sat off the pace, a tactic that is not expected to be employed Saturday.
“He will be on the lead,” Arnold said of Wild Shot, who will be ridden by Corey Lanerie. “I’m done piddling around trying to get him to go a mile and a quarter.”
Wild Shot returned to the track Wednesday morning for the first time since a half-mile work Monday and galloped before the break under Jozefat Calvo.
The other five Toyota Blue Grass entrants at Keeneland galloped Wednesday morning. The seventh entrant, J Boys Echo, is stabled at Churchill Downs and has to be at Keeneland by noon Thursday.
WHITHAM THOROUGHBREDS’ McCraken galloped 1½ miles before the renovation break under exercise rider Yoni Orantes and, as he has done the past few days, returned to the barn via the Paddock.
Not only is McCraken the 7-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass, the undefeated colt also is the favorite in the final futures pool for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
“You have to enjoy it,” trainer Ian Wilkes said of the buildup to the Toyota Blue Grass and the Kentucky Derby. “How often does a horse like this come along? You have to have fun with it, but you can’t get ahead of yourself. You have to take it one day at a time.”
Toyota Blue Grass morning line favorite McCraken at Keeneland
Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta’s Tapwrit visited the starting gate and galloped 1 3/8 miles under Romain Techer for trainer Todd Pletcher.
“He got an A plus at the gate this morning,” said Ginny DePasquale, the longtime Pletcher assistant who is overseeing his Keeneland string. “He is coming around at the right time considering his first time at Saratoga he got a D minus.”
Tapwrit schooled in the Paddock later in the morning after training hours.
With Fernando Rivera aboard, KLARAVICH STABLES AND WILLIAM H. LAWRENCE’S Practical Joke visited the Paddock before he galloped 1 3/8 miles for trainer Chad Brown.
For trainer Kenny McPeek, HAROLD LERNER, AWC STABLES, NEHOC STABLES AND MAGDALENA STABLE’S It’s Your Nickel galloped 1½ miles in the first set with Pablo Portes aboard.
REDDAM RACING’S Irap galloped a mile on the main track after the break with jockey Julien Leparoux hopping aboard for the first time prior to partnering in Saturday’s race.
Seeking to become the first maiden to win the Toyota Blue Grass, Irap is trained by Doug O’Neill. Overseeing the colt’s preparations this week is Jack Sisterson, who was here last spring for nearly a month with Nyquist before that colt went on to Churchill Downs and won the Kentucky Derby.
“That was a good time,” Sisterson said. “They had had a good experience here in 2015 for the Breeders’ Cup and if the weather got bad we could go to the (all-weather) training track and not miss a day.”
J Boys Echo Team Seeks Toyota Blue Grass Repeat
Keeneland’s Jockey Garden adjacent to the Saddling Paddock features 11 statues commemorating winners of the track’s most prestigious races such as the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G2), which will be run for the 93rd time on Saturday. Each jockey is painted to replicate the winning owner’s silks, including Dennis Albaugh’s ALBAUGH FAMILY STABLE, which won the Toyota Blue Grass last year with Brody’s Cause. The blue and gray colors will remain on the statue if Albaugh’s J Boys Echo wins this year’s Toyota Blue Grass.
J Boys Echo is trained by Dale Romans, who also trained Brody’s Cause.
“Having won the race last year with Brody’s Cause, it really was not a hard decision to run in the (Toyota) Blue Grass again,” Steve Castagnola, bloodstock manager for the Albaugh operation, said. “It is incredible to be back. We know how hard this game is. We are very fortunate and we have a great team.”
J Boys Echo comes into the Toyota Blue Grass after winning the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct on March 4. His resume includes a victory in a Keeneland maiden race last year.
The owners were familiar with the Mineshaft colt’s lineage when they saw J Boys Echo at Keeneland’s 2015 September Yearling Sale and purchased him for $485,000. They raced his half-brother, Unbridled Outlaw, a Keeneland September graduate who became a graded stakes-placed performer.
“When we went to see J Boys Echo at the sale, he had a lovely way of walking and a lot of presence and class,” Castagnola said.
J Boys Echo is named for Albaugh’s son-in-law Jason Loutsch, who often is called “J Boy.” The second part of the moniker is a nod to the colt’s dam, Letgomyecho.
Source: Keeneland Association
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