Taptowne Skips Mountainview Handicap

Clovertowne Farm’s Taptowne, runner-up to Cyber Secret in the Oaklawn Handicap (GII), was under consideration for the $250,000 Mountainview Handicap at Penn National on June 1, but instead will stay at home to run in Friday’s featured allowance / optional-claiming event for 3-year-olds and up which have not won a graded sweepstakes over a mile in 2012-13 or claiming price of $125,000.

 

“He probably would have been one of the top three choices at Penn National, but our game plan was we would stay here if the allowance race went and it’s going,” trainer Tim Glyshaw said. “He’ll get to run out of his own stall and have his usual rider.”

 

Taptowne enters Friday’s race off a third-place effort in an allowance at Churchill Downs on April 30. After stumbling at the start, Taptowne raced on the lead under Calvin Borel and led in the stretch before being caught by Seruni and Agent Di Nozzo.

 

“The start hurt him a little bit and I don’t think the track was playing very kind to speed,” Glyshaw said. “Also, we were running him back in 17 days after possibly his best race ever (the Oaklawn Handicap). Now he’ll have his 30 days between races and the track has been a lot fairer to speed this week. If it doesn’t change before next week then we’ll be OK.”

 

Taptowne will go up against some stiff competition Friday, including multiple Grade-III winner Endorsement, multiple stakes winner Bim Bam and stakes winner Agent Di Nozzo.

 

“When you get to this level, they are all going to be tough,” Glyshaw said. “But this should be a good spot for him.”

 

Friday’s featured race at 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Churchill Downs will go as Race 7 at 5:52 p.m.