Barn Tour: Trombetta's doing 'pretty good,' leads at Colonial
Michael Trombetta is in a familiar spot at the top of Colonial Downs leaderboard with 17 wins from 67 starters. Familiar because he won Colonial's training title the last two years.
Trombetta has topped $5 million in earnings each of the last three years, and he’s on pace this year at $3.5 million. Speaking while driving from Saratoga to his Maryland base, Trombetta told Horse Racing Nation that his operation has “been working along pretty good. And fortunately some of the better horses are doing the right things.”
Trombetta has about 100 horses in training, and his current star is Future Is Now, winner of two graded stakes this year and one last year. He discussed his top horses for HRN’s Barn Tour series.
Future Is Now. The 5-year-old daughter of Great Notion has won four of her last five starts, winning the Grade 3 Caress last out for her fourth graded-stakes win. Two starts back, she was a close second in the Intercontinental (G2). She’s entered in Friday’s Smart and Fancy Stakes at Saratoga, which she won last year. “The ultimate goal would be to be able to get back to Keeneland in the fall,” Trombetta said. Last year, Forever Is Now won the Franklin (G2) and Giant’s Causeway (G3) at Keeneland.
Arzak. Trombetta’s only millionaire, the 7-year-old son of Not This Time is winless in his last 10 starts, most recently finishing fifth in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint Stakes on Aug. 3. “Arzak's been a little unlucky this year,” Trombetta said. “He's caught some soft turf that he didn't like and traffic troubles in other races. So not 100% sure where we're going yet, but we may be looking at Kentucky Downs for him.”
Crystal Quest. The 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt started the year with a win in the black-type Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs but is 0-for-3 since, finishing second last out in an optional-claiming allowance at Saratoga. “We're going to probably run him back (next weekend) in the allowance race that he was second in last time.”
Coringa. This 4-year-old gelding by Practical Joke has a 7: 2-4-0 record this year, finishing second last out in an optional-claiming allowance at Colonial Downs. “Coringa's been doing very well this season. He ran a good second the other day at Colonial, and we hope to run him back at Colonial one more time” during the current meet.
Nineteenamendment. The 5-year-old mare by Constitution is 2-for-4 this year and hasn’t had a start since winning the black-type Dahlia Stakes in April. “She's on the farm. She had a setback after her stakes win, and she needed a little bit of time. She's getting some rest now, but she should return later in the season.”
Forever Souper. The 6-year-old gelding by American Pharoah has nine career wins from 24 starts and a record of 5: 0-2-1 this year after finishing sixth as the odds-on favorite in Tuesday's Avery Whisman Memorial Stakes, which he won last year. Trombetta said before the race that if he ran well, he would follow the same path as last year and come back in the Presque Isle Mile, which was Forever Souper’s most recent win.
Hollywood Walk. This 6-year-old mare by Animal Kingdom is 1-for-3 this year, with a win last out in the black-type Andy Guest Stakes on Saturday. Trombetta said he hasn’t decided on her next start.
Just Philtored. This 2-year-old filly by Great Notion is 2-for-2 after winning the Keswick Stakes at Colonial Downs on Aug. 2. She could make her next start in the Dolley Madison at Colonial Downs next Saturday.