Current opens season on turf in Gulfstream's Dania Beach

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert LaPenta and Dixiana Farms’ Current, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Bourbon (G3) on the turf last fall, finds himself back on the grass for his 3-year-old debut in the $100,000 Dania Beach.

A chestnut son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin trained by Todd Pletcher, Current finished seventh in back-to-back starts to cap his juvenile season, both on off tracks, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) – his first dirt try after four straight on the grass.

“We decided to give him a try on the dirt and unfortunately we had bad conditions that day. The track came up sloppy but he ran OK despite that,” Pletcher said. “We’re looking forward to getting him back on the turf and have been kind of targeting the Dania Beach for a while.

“At some point he might try the dirt again, but his maiden win and his win in the Bourbon were pretty impressive on the grass,” he added. “Unfortunately he turned his head at the start of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and lost any chance at that stage, but he’s been training well and we’re looking forward to getting his season started here.”

The Oct. 7 Bourbon is the only race where Current hasn’t run over an off track, rallying to win by a nose on a firm Keeneland course. In his previous start, he broke his maiden by three lengths over A Thread of Blue at Belmont Park.

“It seems every time he’s run there’s been some sort of rain involved, but he caught a firm turf in the Bourbon and he liked that,” Pletcher said. “I don’t think he ran probably as bad as it looks on paper in the Kentucky Jockey Club considering he got bumped at the start and caught a lot of slop in his face and [had] a rough way around there. We’ll get him started back on the grass here and see where that leads us.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, up in the Kentucky Jockey Club, gets the return call from Post 10 at topweight of 122 pounds.

Leonard C. Green’s A Thread of Blue rebounded from his maiden loss to Current with victories in two of his next three starts, also finishing third in the one-mile Awad Nov. 4 in his previous stakes try. He graduated in an off-the-turf maiden special weight Oct. 7 and last time out was a front-running 2 ¾-length winner of an entry-level optional claiming allowance going 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream turf Dec. 22.

“He jumped and made the lead last time pretty impressively, so he will be forwardly placed. He doesn’t have to be on the lead but he won’t be far away,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “He’s doing very well. He’s trained great since the last race and we’re looking forward to running him back. Hopefully it stays on the turf, but he could dirt, also. We like him a lot, so we will run either way. He keeps working really well, so we can’t wait to get him going.”

Championship Meet-leading rider Luis Saez will be aboard from Post 6.

Four horses exiting the 7 ½-furlong Kitten’s Joy Jan. 5 at Gulfstream will meet up again in the Dania Beach – winner Casa Creed, Royal Urn (third), Armed Forces Stakes winner Louder Than Bombs (fourth) and Juvenile Turf Stakes winner Stirling Drive (sixth). Also entered are Fed Fever, a Dec. 21 maiden winner at Gulfstream; My Silencer, a stakes winner over Woodbine’s synthetic surface in his career bow last fall; Shootin the Breeze, Rayo My King and Ole Mole. Going for Gold is entered for main track only.