Barn Tour: Rusty Arnold updates on 2-year-olds + 8 others
Rusty Arnold is having a pretty good year, with two graded-stakes wins and earnings of $1.7 million.
That’s in line with the last several years for Arnold, who began training in 1970.
“It's been OK,” Arnold told Horse Racing Nation on Monday. “We always want more, but it's not bad.”
His earnings topped $3 million three times, all since 2019. That was his best year, when Concrete Rose went 4-for-4, including a win in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks.
He hasn’t had a Grade 1 since, although he plans to take a shot at the Alabama next weekend with Neon Icon.
Arnold, who has about 50 horses in training, provided updates on the Arrogate filly and 10 others in his stable for HRN’s Barn Tour series.
Red Carpet Ready. The 4-year-old daughter of Oscar Performance returned from an eight-month layoff in March to win the Hurricane Bertie (G2) for her third graded win. She’s 0-for-3 since, finishing a close second Saturday in the Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint. Arnold thinks her eighth-place finish in her prior start, the Derby City Distaff (G1) on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, was an aberration. “She's back on track,” Arnold said, “and we'll run her at Kentucky Downs” in the Ladies Sprint (G2).
Cellist. The 6-year-old gelded son of Big Blue Kitten is Arnold’s other graded-stakes winner this year, scoring in the Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) in March. Then he was 10th in the Turf Classic (G1) on Kentucky Derby day, and he’s been idle since. “Cellist is on the farm at Calumet, getting some rest and recuperation. He'll come back this fall.”
Neon Icon. The 3-year-old Arrogate filly won her April debut at Keeneland and then won a Churchill Downs allowance, both by open lengths. Last out, she was fifth in the Indiana Oaks (G3) after an awkward start. She’ll ship to New York on Monday for a start in the Alabama. “ She didn't run good in Indiana. Wasn't horrible, wasn't what we were looking for. She's come out of it. She's trained very good, and we're moving forward.”
Poolside With Slim. The 3-year-old Churchill filly, unraced as a 2-year-old, is 2-for-6 this year and was fourth last out in the June 29 Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs. “She's great. She's lovely. Didn't finish off her last race as well as we wanted. We backed off of her, freshened her and hope to have a big fall. We like her quite a bit.” Her next start will be in the Music City (G2) at Kentucky Downs.
Gear Jockey. The 7-year-old son of Twirling Candy hasn’t had a start since finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year. He’s 2-for-12 in the last two years, with both wins coming in the Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs. After a couple of works in June, he returned to the tab last week. “Gear Jockey worked a very solid five-eighths on Friday, came out of it in good shape. And we're trying to make the sprint at Kentucky Downs that he's won twice. And we're under a tight schedule. We can't have any setbacks, but we think we can make it.” This year’s Turf Sprint (G2) is on Aug. 31.
Sweet Cherry Pie. The 4-year-old Twirling Candy colt has raced only once this year, winning an optional-claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park in March. His overall record is 7: 3-1-2. “He is on the comeback trail. He got hurt after his win at Gulfstream, and he's back and breezed half a mile on Sunday. So he's going to return to the races this fall.”
Foreseen. The 3-year-old Uncle Mo filly broke her maiden in June in her ninth start and has been in the money in all four starts this year. “It took her a while to get her maiden broke. When she did, it was a fast enough race. We think she's turned the corner. We've liked the filly all along. It took a little longer to win, and we thought it would. Hope to move on and hope she's one of those late bloomers. We think that's going to be the case.”
Just a Care. In her only start this year, the 4-year-old Australia filly lost her rider in a stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in February. For her career, she’s 7: 2-2-0. “Just a Care went to the farm. She just returned to my barn and probably won't run until Keeneland.” In her last start, “she clipped heels and fell. It took her a while to recover from it. She was all beat up, bruised up, hard on her. Nothing permanent, but we had to give her some time off.”
2-year-olds
Into the Fray. This Violence filly was a debut winner at Ellis Park on July 21. She’s entered in an allowance at Ellis on Saturday. “Into the Fray will definitely run at Kentucky Downs. We're undecided whether we'll stay at the sprint or stretch her out to the mile. We'll make that decision probably by who's running and how she's doing. My guess is it'd be the sprint.”
Kilwin. The Twirling Candy filly won her July 27 debut at Ellis Park. “Kilwin we love. She won her first start last week, and she will probably run in a turf race at Kentucky Downs if she's doing good. If not, she'll run at the Churchill meet.”
Echo Sound. The Echo Town filly won her debut at Ellis on Saturday. “We're undecided. Hasn't been long enough to decide what she's going to do yet. Probably return at the Churchill September meet.”