Itsinthepost heads field of 11 in Elkhorn

Red Baron’s Barn LLC’s Itsinthepost (FR), winner of the San Luis Rey (G2) at Santa Anita on March 25 in his most recent start, heads a field of 11 entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 32nd running of the $250,000 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) for 4-year-olds and up.

Run at 1½ miles on the grass, the Dixiana Elkhorn will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Jeff Mullins, Itsinthepost has enjoyed a stellar 2017 with runner-up finishes in the San Gabriel (G3) and San Marcos (G2) before the triumph in the San Luis Rey at a mile and a half. Regular rider Tyler Baze has the mount on Itsinthepost and will break from post position four.

Trainer Mike Maker, who has won this race twice including last year with Da Big Hoss, will send out four runners, three of which are graded stakes winners and the fourth is multiple graded stakes- placed.

The most recent stakes winner among the trio is Three Diamonds Farm’s Bigger Picture. Winner of the John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park on Jan. 29, Bigger Picture is a two-time Grade 3 winner. In his most recent Keeneland start, Bigger Picture finished second in last fall’s Sycamore (G3) at the 1½-mile distance. Jose Ortiz has the mount on Bigger Picture and will break from post position five.

The day before Bigger Picture’s victory in Houston, Michael Hui’s Taghleeb posted his initial graded stakes score by winning the W.L. McKnight Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Luis Saez will ride Taghleeb and break from post position eight.

Maker’s third graded stakes winner is Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Charming Kitten. Winner of the 2015 McKnight who is a career earner of $948,701, Charming Kitten will be ridden by Julien Leparoux and break from post position nine.

Completing the Maker contingent is Three Diamonds Farm’s Roman Approval. Joel Rosario has the mount and will break from post position 10.

The field for the Dixiana Elkhorn, from the inside, is: Interpol (Jose Lezcano, 118 pounds), Danish Dynaformer (Paco Lopez, 118), Red Rifle (Corey Lanerie, 118), Itsinthepost (FR) (Baze, 120), Bigger Picture (Ortiz, 118), Bullards Alley (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., 118), Grey Wizard (Joe Bravo, 118), Taghleeb (Saez, 118), Charming Kitten (Leparoux, 118), Roman Approval (Rosario, 118) and Chocolate Ride (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118).    

Last December, Florida bloodstock agent Rudy Delguidice called trainer James Toner and said he was sending him a horse.

“I was in California at the time and Jimmy called me and gave me the name Interpol,” said Tiffany Webb, who is overseeing Toner’s Keeneland string. “I looked him up and ‘Jiminy Christmas, he’s a Grade 1 winner.’ ”

That he is. Owned by JMJ Racing Stables, Interpol had a magical four-week run in the summer of 2015 at Woodbine in which he won the Sky Classic (G2) and the Northern Dancer (G1) for trainer Sid Attard. Those efforts earned him the 2015 Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion grass horse.

On Saturday, Interpol will start in the $250,000 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) at 1½ miles on the turf.

Interpol finished 10th in the 2015 Canadian International (G1) and did not run again until more than 16 months later for Toner in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream on March 4.

“Rudy had given us some information on him that he preferred to run long on the grass,” Webb said. “His last race was a mile, which is not ideal for him but we didn’t want to go a mile and a half off a long layoff.”

Interpol finished sixth in his return.

“We were going to go to Belmont with him, but in his last race, he ran the second biggest figure of his life so he is going in the right direction,” Webb said. “He is doing well and this is the perfect spot.”

The 6-year-old Ontario-bred horse has quickly become a barn favorite.