Barn Notes
Ness Could Be Back Saturday with Repenting
Trainer Jamie Ness shipped Balkrisna Sukharan’s 6-year-old Lookinforthesecret from his Tampa Bay Downs winter headquarters to post a mild upset at 6-to-1 in Saturday’s $250,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint on Calder’ inaugural ‘Turf Million’ day program, and indicated after the race he may be back next Saturday to run the same owner’s 3-year-old gelding Repenting in the Naked Greed overnight stakes.
The Naked Greed at six furlongs is one of three overnight stakes in the condition book for Saturday’s ‘live’ card at Calder on Kentucky Derby (G1) day at Churchill Downs. Repenting has won his last three starts by big margins at Tampa Bay, beginning with his maiden score on Feb. 28 when he won by 4 ¼ lengths in his third start and was claimed by Ness for $25,000.
A Florida-bred son of Repent, Repenting has since won a starter allowance on Mar. 25 by 7 ¾ lengths and took a big step up to capture the $85,000 Sophomore Stakes going seven furlongs on Apr. 5 by 10 ½ lengths under leading Tampa Bay rider Daniel Centeno, who rode Lookinforthesecret at Calder Saturday.
Ness and Centeno dominated the Tampa Bay standings this year. Ness will win the title and has won 64 races since the meet began in December with Dale Bennett his closest rival second with 33 victories. Centeno’s lead over his pursuers is even more lopsided as he has won 140 races, followed by Rosemary Homeister, Jr. with 65 tallies.
The other two overnight stakes carded for Saturday at Calder are the Snurb for 3-year-old fillies at 5 ½ furlongs and the Jackie Wackie for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf. In the book for next Sunday is the Sumter overnight for 3-year-olds and up at one mile and 70 yards on the main track.
‘Crazyguy’ & Delightful Kiss Breeze Sunday Morning
Three-year-olds are the center of attention with the 134th Kentucky Derby (G1) to be run Saturday at Churchill Downs with Mt. Joy Stable’s Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Smooth Air carrying the hopes of many South Florida fans and horsemen while two 4-year-olds that were at Churchill at this time last year posted workouts Sunday morning at Calder.
Lewis Pell and Michael Eigner’s Imawildandcrazyguy took trainer Bill Kaplan down the Derby trail with considerable attention last spring and finished a very respectable fourth behind Street Sense in the 133rd ‘Run for the Roses’, beaten only a half-length for third by emerging star Curlin.
A roan/gray gelding by Wild Event, Imawildandcrazyguy finished fourth last out in the Forever Whirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Mar. 29 after a slow start and is nominated for both the Jackie Wackie here next Saturday and Sumter overnight on Sunday. Imawildandcrazyguy breezed six furlongs out of the gate Sunday morning in 1:19.
Trainer Pete Anderson had Hobeau Farm’s homebred Delightful Kiss at Churchill Downs Derby week last year in hopes of getting a berth in the race, but failed to make the maximum field of 20 on Graded stakes earnings at the time, instead running ninth in the American Turf (G3) the day before, although beaten only 5 ½ lengths by the winner.
The roan/gray gelding went on to sweep the $300,000 Ohio Derby (G2) at Thistledown and the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows in his next two starts before his most recent appearance when fifth in the West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Park on Aug. 4. Delightful Kiss breezed five furlongs in 1:02 Sunday morning, his fourth recorded workout here this month.
Another notable workout in South Florida over the weekend was posted Saturday at Palm Meadows where Stronach Stable’s 5-year-old homebred mare Sugar Swirl was timed five furlongs in 1:00 flat for trainer Brian Lynch in the only recorded work of the morning at the Boynton Beach facility.
Lynch was at Calder in the afternoon to send out Stronach Stable’s 3-year-old homebred filly Ginger Brew to capture the $200,000 Calder Oaks and will be at Churchill later this week to run Sugar Swirl as one of the likely choices in Saturday’s $300,000 Humana Distaff (G1) on Derby Day. The daughter of Touch Gold swept the three Graded sprint stakes this year at Gulfstream Park, most recently the Shirley Jones Handicap (G2) on Mar. 29.
Ginger Brew won the Calder Oaks Saturday by 1 ¼ lengths as the slight choice over second favorite Life is Sweet in her fifth career start and stakes debut. The Canadian homebred daughter of Milwaukee Brew will be pointed for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks in June.
