Copper Bullet ready to fire; update on other Winchell horses

As Winchell Thoroughbreds prepares to send multiple colts forward in Sunday’s Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby, one of the nation's top owners is looking forward to the return of one of their promising juveniles from last year.

Copper Bullet, co-owned by Willis Horton Racing, missed the Kentucky Derby trail this year but could return to the races this fall, racing manager David Fiske said.

“Copper Bullet is doing great,” Fiske said by phone. “We’re thinking he might actually start when the races get back to Churchill in about a month.”

Steve Asmussen-trained Copper Bullet has not raced since last August when he won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special before missing the rest of his fall campaign due to shin issues. The 3-year-old More Than Ready colt has turned in consistent works at Churchill Downs, most recently breezing five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Sept. 19.

“We’re hoping to get an allowance race to fill for him,” Fiske said. “Probably at Churchill, maybe the end of the Keeneland meet. Somewhere around there.”

Following Churchill Downs’ September meet, racing returns to the Louisville track Oct. 28-Nov. 25 following Keeneland’s fall meet than runs from Oct. 5-27.

While Copper Bullet was on the shelf this spring, Combatant picked up a string of top finishes in Oaklawn Park's Kentucky Derby preps. Also owned in partnership with Willis Horton Racing, Combatant tried turf this past summer at Saratoga with two off-the-board finishes. He will likely switch back to dirt in the Oklahoma Derby.

“He seemed less effective on the turf, but that may have just been partly due to the competition he was up against and the nature of the soft turf up at Saratoga. They had a lot of rain up there this summer,” Fiske said. “They were probably off the turf than they were on. It was just an opportunity.

“He’s run well on the dirt. I don’t think he’s locked into being a dirt or a turf horse, so can go both ways. He’s a dual threat.”

Combatant worked half a mile in 49.69 at Remington Park Tuesday morning. Lionite, fourth last out in the Grade 3 Super Derby for the same partnership, is also probable and worked a half in 50.16 Tuesday at Remington.

Tenfold emerged as a rising 3-year-old as well for Winchell, running third in the Grade 1 Preakness and winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy. He last ran seventh in the Grade 1 Travers. Fiske said Tenfold is receiving a freshening at the farm.

As for rising juveniles, Winchell could potentially enter the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Tight Ten, runner-up in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and Churchill's Grade 3 Iroquois. 

“If he’s going to go, he’ll train up to it,” Fiske said. “And if he misses that for any reason, there’s always the Kentucky Jockey Club at the end of the (Churchill Downs) meet.”