Safe Trip Sets Sights on Amsterdam

Trainer Eddie Kenneally said this morning that he plans to run Gary and Mary West's Safe Trip in Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds running six and one-half furlongs.

Since coming off a nine-month layoff, Safe Trip has won two races, a maiden race and an allowance race, and recently finished third to multiple graded stakes winner Discreetly Mine in the Grade 3 Jersey Shore at Monmouth Park.

"We always had high regard for him," Kenneally said. "We liked his last race because it was a test of his class. Obviously, we are concerned about Discreetly Mine in the race. Still, we are happy with him."

Safe Trip had only one race as a 2-year-old, never reaching contention against eventual Grade 3 winner Thiskyhasnolimit over a sloppy Churchill Downs track. After that race, Kenneally decided to give the gelding some time to regroup.

"He had some typical 2-year-old issues," Kenneally said. "He needed some time to mature."

Along with Safe Trip and Discreetly Mine, other candidates for the Amsterdam include Backtrack, Catalan, Essence Hit Man, General Maximus, In Jack's Memory, and Make Note.