Keeneland winner Front Run the Fed targets Jaipur
After an impressive Keeneland allowance score in his 2023 debut, Front Run the Fed will target the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur for 3-year-olds and upward going six furlongs on the turf June 10 at Belmont Park. The Jaipur offers a win and you're in berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Santa Anita.
The 7-year-old son of Fed Biz, owned by George Sharp, displayed an impressive turn of foot in his last effort, chasing a torrid pace from 10th of 11 down the backstretch and weaved his way through traffic in the stretch drive under Reylu Gutierrez to win by one length. The bay horse completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.23 and garnered a 95 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.
Trainer Caio Caramori said Front Run the Fed puts in his best effort with time in between races. He made his 2022 debut off a nine-month layoff to win the Van Clief in July at Colonial Downs.
“He always runs well off a layoff,” Caramori said. “I like the way he’s coming into this race. We gave him plenty of time between that race and this race as well, so I’m expecting a big effort. The plan is to go for the Jaipur and then regroup after that.”
Caramori would like to point Front Run the Fed to the $1 million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G2) on Sept. 9, which is also a Breeders’ Cup win and you're in event. He finished a respective fourth and seventh in last two runnings of that event for Caramori and was second in the 2020 edition when conditioned by Chad Brown. Sharp purchased the six-time winner at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age sale for $440,000.
“The major objective is the million-dollar race at Kentucky Downs. He loves that track, so we’re trying to get there and get the best trip possible,” Caramori said. “We may come back to New York at some point again over the summer and then end up at Kentucky Downs and hopefully California for Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year.”
Gutierrez is expected to retain the mount for the Jaipur.
Caramori also nominated Code Runner to the 12-furlong, $250,000 Brooklyn (G2) on June 10 and the previous day’s $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup (G2) going two miles on the grass.
The 6-year-old Honor Code gelding, also owned by Sharp, was fourth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance event on Pimlico’s Preakness undercard on May 20. A four-time winner in 25 starts, Code Runner was sixth in both of his efforts on turf.
“He’s a horse that wants to go really long,” Caramori said. “It’s ambitious spotting, but I really do think this horse wants to go a mile and a quarter, mile and a half or even longer. We aren’t sure which one we’ll go in or even if we’ll go. We’ll decide a little closer to the race.”
Caramori added that Sharp’s Curly Larry and Mo also could ship up to run in a New York-bred allowance that same weekend. The Mo Town sophomore, bred by Hidden Lake Farm and Donna Bernhard, was a last out eighth in Horseshoe Indianapolis’ Caesars Handicap on May 17.