Avanzare X-Factor in Arlington 'Cap
D. Lanni and J. Youngblood’s talented but lightly raced Avanzare is the proverbial X-factor in Saturday’s short but competitive field for the Grade III $200,000 Arlington Handicap at Arlington International Racecourse. A winner of four of seven races who has never been out of the exacta, the speedy son of regally bred Grand Reward will be stepping up an additional furlong in trip from his 1 1/8-miles allowance tally at Churchill Downs on June 20.
“It’s a tough race, but we’ll see what happens,” Proctor said. “Trainers always have doubts (about stamina), but you never know until you try.”
Avanzare turned in a solid maintenance move on July 7, going five furlongs on the Polytrack Arlington main in 1:00.80 in preparation for Saturday. The maternal grandson of Breeders’ Cup Turf champ Theatrical was originally supposed to be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, but Proctor had to call an audible when plans encountered a ‘hiccup’.
“I’ll be bringing in ‘DVD’ for those rides - Drayden VanDyke,” Proctor reported. “He’ll arrive Saturday morning after riding in California (Friday) and catching a redeye. I just figured I would bring him because I don’t like using riders I don’t ride very often.”
COOL COWBOY HEADS SALTY SATURDAY UNDERCARD ALLOWANCE
Savoy Stable’s swift and talented sophomore sprinter Cool Cowboy heads a tough seven-furlong sophomore allowance field on the stellar Arlington International Racing undercard on Saturday, complementing a tetrad of graded stakes. Trained by Dale Bennett, the son of champion sprinter Kodiak Kowboy has landed two stakes wins in his last three starts - the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in December and the $75,000 Golden Circle Stakes at Prairie Meadows in May.
Adding class to the field will be the presence of fellow stakes winners in Agave Racing Stable’s Broadway Missile and Susan Moulton’s Solitary Ranger; the latter making his first start on the Arlington Polytrack since his victory in last season’s Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity over a mile. Adding intrigue will be ex-Kentucky Governor Brereton C. Jones’ Tom Proctor-trained Myositis Dan, who exits a photo-finish third - beaten only a head for the victory by recent Grade II Woody Stephens Stakes runaway winner Bayern - in the Grade III Derby Trial in April at Churchill Downs.
“He had a little time off since the Derby Trial,” Proctor said. “You have to like (Cool Cowboy); he’s probably the speed of the speed. I hope someone hooks him - then we’ll see what happens. Hopefully my horse will move forward. He’s run good on the Polytrack before.” Two races back, in an about-seven-furlong allowance at Keeneland, the son of Istan was a skillful victor by 2 ½ lengths over the Lexington establishment’s former Polytrack surface.