Bashart Leads Bourbon Entrants
Rosedown Racing’s Bashart, winner of the With Anticipation (G2) at Saratoga in his most recent start, tops a field of 12 entered Thursday for Sunday’s 23rd running of the $150,000 Bourbon (G3) for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the grass.
The Bourbon, a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run Nov. 1 at Santa Anita, will go as the seventh race on Sunday’s nine-race program with a 4:17 p.m. (ET) post time.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Bashart has won his past two starts and will be ridden Sunday by John Velazquez and break from post position five. Pletcher has won the Bourbon three times: Interactif (2009), Bittel Road (2008) and Twilight Meteor (2006).
An intriguing challenger to Bashart is Brian Hall, William Gessman and River Ridge Ranch’s Boji Moon, trained by Chris Richard. An Iowa-bred, Boji Moon is undefeated in three starts and in his lone try on grass won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile by 5¼ lengths. Brian Hernandez Jr., who was aboard for the Kentucky Downs victory, will ride Sunday and break from post position seven.
The field for the Bourbon, from the inside out, is as follows: School On a Hill (Norberto Arroyo Jr., 118 pounds), Tiger Bourbon (Rosie Napravnik, 118), All Cash (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Solar Flair (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), Bashart (Velazquez, 122), Manaus (Leandro Goncalves, 118), Boji Moon (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Bon Accord (Jesus Rios, 118), Oogeley Eye (Corey Lanerie, 118), Poker Player (Channing Hill, 118), Whyruawesome (E.T. Baird, 118) and Medal Count (Robby Albarado, 118).Also-eligible: Culprit (Corey Lanerie, 118).