Whyruawesome Back in Action on Sunday

 

One year ago when Windy Hill Farm’s leggy and talented graded stakes-placed juvenile Whyruawesome came to Fair Grounds Race Course to prepare for 2014, his connections had high hopes that they may have a Kentucky Derby candidate. After training locally and heading to Oaklawn Park to finish an inexplicably listless last in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 20 (to avoid stablemate Smarty’s Echo who raced in the local Grade III Lecomte two days prior), it was discovered that the chestnut gelding had painful and pestering stomach ulcers. Given ample time to recover, he returned to the care of conditioner Anne Smith this summer at Arlington International Racecourse.

 

Since, the son of Whywhywhy has finished a good third in a Sept. 13 allowance at Arlington, failed in a Keeneland turf experiment when eighth on Oct. 5 and then awakened when breaking sharply and changing to front-running tactics in a one-mile Churchill Downs allowance in which he set sharp fractions of :22.53, :45.21 and 1:10.32 and was beaten by a head at the wire at odds of 65-1. 

 

Speed must presumably be what the ulcers were holding back, as such forwardly placed behavior was a departure from the deep-closing, eye-catching way he had broken his maiden upon debut last summer and the mid-pack closing tactics he subsequently used to finish second in last year’s Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity. His speed has further been on display since returning to New Orleans, including two consecutive bullet works under jockey Antioco Murgia – four furlongs on Nov. 15 in :47.60 (best of 134) and on Nov. 23 in :47.20 in the mud (best of 24).

 

“We weren’t even trying (to work that fast), he did it on his own,” Smith explained.   “The rider just went easy and smooched to him – no throwing crosses, no whip – he’s just feeling really good and much better compared to this time last year. The ulcer medications have really helped him. He’s such a thinker. I almost think he internalizes emotionally (when things hurt physically), if that makes any sense. He’s just much happier right now.”

 

Smith has not ruled out another attempt on the turf for the sophomore whose pedigree includes grass classic winners and champions Caro, Sky Classic, Nijinsky II and Blushing Groom in his first four generations – but for now she would prefer to take advantage of his newly honed speed.  “I don’t think a surface will make or break his racing career,” she said.  “I would love to try him on the grass again. Right now, though, I would like to keep him under a mile, if possible.”

 

Whyruawesome makes his much-delayed Fair Grounds debut Sunday in the eighth race. He breaks from the rail under Murgia and is scheduled to face eight others, including JMJ Racing Stable’s sharp recent Keeneland maiden winner Hot Hot Heat from the barn of Brad Cox, who already has two wins in as many starts at the current meet – both with Hot Hot Heat’s scheduled pilot Florent Geroux in the irons.

 

Source: Fair Grounds Communications