Kaigun Seeks Back-to-Back Graded Wins in Elkhorn

Gary Barber, Quintessential Racing Florida LLC and Horse’n Around Stable’s Kaigun, winner of the Pan American (G2) in his most recent start, heads a field of eight entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 31st running of the $250,000 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2).

The Dixiana Elkhorn, run at 1½ miles on the turf, will go as the ninth race Saturday afternoon with a 5:30 ET post time. First post time for the 10-race program is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Mark Casse, Kaigun snapped a streak of four runner-up finishes with his victory in the April 2 Pan American. Saturday’s race will be the third on the Keeneland sod for Kaigun, who chased two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the 2014 Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1), finishing second and fourth, respectively.

Joe Bravo, who has been aboard the 6-year-old Canadian-bred son of Northern Afleet in his past four starts, has the mount and will break from post position seven.

Chief among Kaigun’s rivals are Skychai Racing’s Da Big Hoss and West Point Thoroughbreds’ Twilight Eclipse.

Trained by Mike Maker, Da Big Hoss has won two of his past five starts with victories coming in the John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3) and the Kentucky Turf Cup (G3), both at the Elkhorn distance.

Sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) here last fall, Da Big Hoss will break from post position one under Florent Geroux.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Twilight Eclipse won the Man o’ War (G1) last year for his fifth graded stakes victory. The 7-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Purim has finished second in four other Grade 1 races and third in five other Grade 1 tries.

Seventh in his 2016 debut in the Mac Diarmida (G2) on March 5, Twilight Eclipse will be ridden by Julien Leparoux and break from post position six.

The field for the Dixiana Elkhorn, with riders and weights, is: Da Big Hoss (Geroux, 118 pounds), Up With the Birds (John Velazquez, 118), A Red Tie Day (Gary Stevens, 118), Idolo Porteno (ARG) (Paco Lopez, 118), Royal Albert Hall (GB) (Flavien Prat, 118), Twilight Eclipse (Leparoux, 118), Kaigun (Bravo, 120) and St. Albans Boy (James Graham, 118).