Pants on Fire Faces Tough Locals in Wild & Wonderful

Looking back over Pants on Fire’s past performances since his victory in last year’s Wild & Wonderful, some might notice that he’s won just once in 6 starts.  Others might notice the list of horses winning the races Pants on Fire is running in reads like a who’s who in racing, with Goldencents, Liam’s Map, Private Zone and Honor Code among them.  Either way, Pants on Fire won’t be facing any opponents with the name cache of those on Saturday night as he looks to defend his title in the 7 furlong, $100,000 Wild & Wonderful on Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races’ Race for the Ribbon card. 

Dominant in last year’s edition, beating track record holder Good Lord by 2 1/4 lengths, the now seven-year-old owned by George and Lori Hall and trained by Kelly Breen followed that up with a third place finish behind Goldencents and Tapiture in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.

After starting 2015 with a victory in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton at Gulfstream and a third place effort in back of Private Zone and Nate’s Mineshaft in the Churchill Downs Handicap (G2) on Kentucky Derby day, the son of Jump Start hit a little bit of a lull never factoring in the Met Mile while finishing seventh and then checking in fifth – beaten 12 3/4 lengths – as the second choice in the Monmouth Cup (G2) on the Haskell undercard.

After his last few efforts, the motivation for Breen to send Pants on Fire back to the Wild & Wonderful and goal coming out of it couldn’t be simpler.

"I just want to get him back to his winning form,” said the 46-year-old New Jersey native. “That’s all.”

In an effort to get back to his winning form, the 5-to-2 morning line favorite will have the services of jockey Paco Lopez, who has been aboard him in 19 of his last 20 outings.

While Pants on Fire has a class edge on his opponents and won’t see any Honor Codes or Liam’s Maps, there will be no shortage of opposition on Saturday night with two of the primary contenders being the locally stabled West Virginia breds Lucy’s Bob Boy andHidden Canyon.

Michael Furr’s Lucy’s Bob Boy won the Wild & Wonderful back in 2013 and has won a race on the Race for the Ribbon card each of the last four years. 

In his most recent start, on August 15, Lucy’s Bob Boy lined up against Hidden Canyon and Russell Road in the Frank Gall Memorial and rolled to a 5 1/4 length triumph over the favored Hidden Canyon.  The win seemed to mark a return to top level form for the six-year-old as he posted a 95 Beyer speed figure – a number he hadn’t gotten back to in more than a year.

While Lucy’s Bob Boy has typically stayed in restricted company, his trainer says her horse is doing well and thinks this could be a prelude to another try in graded stakes company down the line.

“We wanted to try something different to see how he stacked up against open company in case we wanted to take him and run him elsewhere in a bigger race again,” said Sandra Dono, trainer of Lucy’s Bob Boy.  “The horse is doing great, feeling great and worked well the other day, so this is the time to try it.”

Lucy’s Bob Boy had previously contested the Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth in 2013 and Charles Town Classic (G2) in 2014.

Jevian Toldeo will ride Lucy’s Bob Boy after picking up the mount for the first time in the Frank Gall.

The talented Hidden Canyon had a nine race winning streak snapped in the Gall when he set the pace only to be passed by Lucy’s Bob Boy and having to hold off 40.50-to-1 shot Little Big Sime for second.  The race was the second off a near 11 month layoff for the Javier Contreras trainee who has battled nagging injuries for a good portion of his career.

With three Beyers of 90 or higher in his last seven outings and a record of four wins from his five career starts at the Wild & Wonderful’s 7 furlong distance, the five-year-old seems able to have a say in the outcome should he fire his best shot come Saturday night.

J.D. Acosta will be in the saddle as Hidden Canyon goes for his first stakes win in open company.

Paul and Andrena Van Doren’s Rise Up was supplemented to the Wild & Wonderful for $2,500 after running sixth in the Presque Isle Mile on September 6.  The Wild & Wonderful won’t be 2013 Delta Jackpot (G3) winner’s first go over the Charles Town oval having won the 2014 Robert Hilton Memorial.

Jose Ortiz will ride the son of Rockport Harbor.

Others stakes winners in the field include Res Judicata, trained by Charles Town native John Servis and Praetereo, recently claimed at Saratoga by owner Carl Moore and trainer Joe Sharp.

Majestic Hussar and Rockinn On Bye complete the lineup.

The Wild & Wonderful is scheduled as race 10 on Charles Town’s Saturday card and is scheduled to go postward at 9:51 P.M. EST.

$100,000 WILD & WONDERFUL S.

September 16, 2015

Race 10 – Post time 9:51pm EST

3&up, 7 Furlongs

PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer

1. Majestic Hussar, Xavier Perez, 119, William A. Campbell

2. Res Judicata, Joshua Navarro, 119, John C. Servis

3. Praetereo, Jose Montano, 119, Joe Sharp

4. Lucy’s Bob Boy, Jevian Toledo, 124, Sandra A. Dono

5. Rise Up, Jose L. Ortiz, 119, Chris Richard

6. Rockinn On Bye, Taylor M. Hole, 119, Stephen M. Casey

7. Pants On Fire, Paco Lopez, 119, Kelly J. Breen

8. Hidden Canyon, J.D. Acosta, 119, Javier Contreras

Source: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races