LoPresti Shoots for Third Firecracker Victory
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Trainer Charlie LoPresti will
bid for his third win in four years in Saturday’s $200,000-added
Firecracker (Grade II) – not with two-time horse of the year
and defending champion Wise Dan, but with Gainesway Stable’s Villandry, who is seeking his first stakes win.
Villandry, coming off a runner-up effort to Regally Ready in the Opening Verse on May 31, will break from post position six in an eight-horse field Saturday.
“Villandry has been doing
really well,” LoPresti said. “I really like our post position in the
six-hole rather than being stuck down on the inside. It looks like
there’s going to be a lot of speed up front this
time around, which is conducive to his running style.”
Villandry was sixth in the
seven-horse Opening Verse after the first quarter-mile, and seventh
through the half-mile up to the sixth furlong. He swung six-wide in the
stretch and was able to rally late, finishing
second by three-quarters of a length to Regally Ready, who also returns
for the Firecracker.
“I think it’s going to set
up for a horse like ours if he runs his race,” LoPresti said. “I’m a
little questionable about the mile. A mile and a sixteenth would suit me
better, but you don’t always get to pick and
choose where you go and what you do.
“I was going to put Set the Sail
in there, too, but I think it would be hurting our chances with
Villandry. The only way the other horse wins is if he’s close to the
pace, then yes it will set it up well
for Villandry, but I don’t want to use my other horse to do that, so I’m
taking him to Indiana.”
The
Firecracker is the featured eighth race on Saturday’s Churchill Downs
card, which also features the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (GIII) as
Race 6 and the $65,000 Kelly’s Landing as Race 7.
“I haven’t seen the
morning-line odds but I would guess we would probably be the third or
fourth choice,” LoPresti said. “We just got beat a head to Regally
Ready, another stride and we would have had him in that
last one, and with Silver Max coming off that long layoff, who knows what he’s going to do. So I like our chances.”
LoPresti won the 2011 and
2013 editions of the Firecracker with Wise Dan, who was sidelined due to
emergency colic surgery last month. LoPresti is hoping for the champion
to make a return in the August 9 Fourstardave
Handicap (GII) at Saratoga.
“It’d be really awesome if
our horse could step up and win this race for us again,” LoPresti said.
“We’re excited and definitely think we have a shot.”
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