Saratoga: Lynch will point Tumbarumba to the Whitney

Tumbarumba, a nose winner of the one-mile Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper in January at Gulfstream Park, will make his next start in the $1 million Whitney (G1) next Saturday at Saratoga. The Whitney offers a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

Trained by Brian Lynch, the 4-year-old Oscar Performance gelding followed his graded coup with two narrow losses in graded company at Gulfstream, missing by a nose to Steal Sunshine under Luis Saez in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) on March 2 before Jose Ortiz guided the hard-knocking bay to a neck loss to likely returning rival Il Miracolo in the 1 1/16-mile Ghostzapper (G3).

“But the thing is, both riders stepped off him and said, 'if I had a chance to ride him again, boss, I wouldn't get beat.' It's one of them things, you just have to take it on the chin,” said Lynch, whose past graded winners at the Spa include Five Iron in the 2013 Saranac (G3), Grand Arch in the 2015 Fourstardave (G2) and Heart to Heart in the 2017 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2).

Last out, Tumbarumba returned from a three-month respite to finish a close second to possible Whitney contender Cagliostro in the one-mile Hanshin on June 30 at Churchill Downs. There, he exited the inside post under Saez and saved ground in fourth position before tipping out for the stretch run and taking dead aim at the more prominent Cagliostro, who scored by one length.

"He had a few starts during the winter, but we gave him a freshen-up for a good summer campaign and that was his first run back,” Lynch said. “We feel like he's in very good order and we'll take a chance at the Whitney."

Lynch said despite the recent narrow defeats, the resilient Tumbarumba may get knocked down, but he gets up again.

“It's a good quality,” said Lynch. “He's got a lot of try in him, that's for sure.”

Saez will retain the mount in the Whitney aboard Tumbarumba, who has hit the board in both previous nine-furlong stakes attempts, landing third, defeated a head, in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) in September at Remington Park and second in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic in December at Fair Grounds.

Owned by Wathnan Racing and bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms, Tumbarumba won a pair of sprints in Kentucky last year before taking the Ellis Park Derby in August at one mile out of a chute configuration similar to that of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga.

Tumbarumba is out of the winning Street Sense mare Naïve Enough, who is a full sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Light the City. Selected by Lynch for $30,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale, Tumbarumba has banked $538,190 through a 15: 5-5-2 ledger.

Lynch also noted that impressive debut maiden winner Owen Almighty will point to the seven-furlong Ellis Park Juvenile on Aug. 11.

The 2-year-old Speightstown colt earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form for his professional 3 1/2-length score traveling 5 1/2-furlongs on June 20 at Churchill. The $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale purchase has breezed back three times at Churchill, including a five-eighths effort in 1:01.60 on July 20.

"It was a good debut,” Lynch said. “He's trained on well, and we're hoping that he can progress in the fashion we would like him to. You always have hopes and dreams you could have a little Breeders' Cup horse.”

Lynch indicated a good result at Ellis Park would propel Owen Almighty to the one-mile Iroquois (G3) at the Churchill fall meet.

Owen Almighty is out of the graded stakes-placed Bayern mare Tempers Rising, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Mac the Man.