Bourbon War 'all business' ahead of 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream

Bourbon War, a promising son of Tapit trained by Mark Hennig, drops from Grade 2 stakes company to face eight other 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park in Friday’s featured ninth race, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance.

Bourbon War, a $410,000 purchase at the 2016 Keeneland November sale, debuted with a 2 ¼-length triumph in a maiden special weight race Nov. 14 at Aqueduct. The strong debut earned his a start in the Dec. 1 Remsen (G2), in which he made a mild rally to finish third after enduring a wide trip in the 1 1/8-mile stakes.

“He’s done very well since he got here. We ran him back in the Remsen. It wasn’t ideal probably, but he handled it well and he came out of it well. He’s shipped well to South Florida,” Hennig said. “I think the [Remsen] was a learning experience for him for a less-than-ideal trip.”

Owned by Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable, Bourbon War stumbled at the start of his debut in an off-the-turf race before drawing off to victory. 

“There was a good chance for it to come off the turf, but he had a lot of turf pedigree. It was that time of year when you enter those kind of races because you’re running out of chances to get started on the grass if you want to. We weren’t alarmed that it came off,” Hennig said.

“I didn’t necessarily expect him to be a first-out winner. He had spotty works – kind of a typical Tapit,” he added. “The interesting thing about him is that since he ran his first start, he’s been all business as a work horse, which he wasn’t before.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount aboard Bourbon War.

Starlight Racing’s Cutting Humor, rated as the 3-1 morning line favorite over 7-2 Bourbon War, is coming off a two-length maiden victory at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 17.

The Todd Pletcher-trained son of First Samurai debuted at Belmont Park on Sept. 9, when he chased front-running favorite Looking At Bikinis and finished second in the 6 ½-furlong maiden test. He came back to finish third after a rocky start in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Keeneland Oct. 7 before breaking through with an off-the-pace triumph in a two-turn mile race at Gulfstream Park West while racing with blinkers the first time.

John Velazquez has the mount aboard the $400,000 yearling purchase at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale

Archidust, Award Winner, Whitecap Bay and Art G Is Back, recent maiden winners at Gulfstream are also entered. Borracho and Everfast, a pair of Kentucky maiden winners with graded-stakes experience, and He’s a Macho Man, a debut winner at Woodbine, round out the field.