Barn Notes
‘Crazyguy’ Bids to Get Back on Track in Jackie Wackie
What a difference a year makes for Lewis Pell and Michael Eigner’s 4-year-old gelding Imawildandcrazyguy, who finished fourth as a 30-to-1 longshot in last year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill behind Street Sense, beaten only a half-length by emerging star Curlin.
A roan/gray Florida-bred by Wild Event, Imawildandcrazyguy will be among the choices in a field of eight 3-year-olds and up entered in the $36,000 Jackie Wackie overnight stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf with veteran jockey Herb McCauley getting the call from trainer Bill Kaplan.
Imawildandcrazyguy’s career in the year since he was in the spotlight on the Triple Crown trail has produced mixed results as he has run well on several occasions, but shows only one victory in an allowance race here last August from 12 starts since the Derby. Last out, he finished fourth behind Electrify in the Forever Whirl Stakes on the main track at Gulfstream Park on Mar. 29.
Imawildandcrazyguy has had three previous tries on turf without winning, but ran well over the Calder course last fall when third in the Needles Stakes and second to Soldier’s Dancer in the Calder Derby (G3). In his only race on grass since then, he never was a factor when 10th in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream on Jan. 4.
The likely choice in the Jackie Wackie is Isaac Muhtar’s 4-year-old Florida homebred Fearless Eagle with Manuel Aguilar aboard for trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr. The son of Invisible Ink won the Pete Axthelm Stakes over the course in late December and finished a close-up third last out behind Soldier’s Dancer in the Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs on Apr. 5.
Completing the field for the Jackie Wackie are Tin Roof Racing’s Packer, Philip Andreola and Charles Fontana’s Unbridled Heat, Edmund Gann and Michel Zerolo’s Mysterious Peintre, Herb and Ione Elkins’ Drums of Thunder, Dahl Farm’s Affirmed Action and Robert Klein’s Croton Road.
Repenting Bids for Fourth Straight in Naked Greed
Trainer Jamie Ness has dominated the Tampa Bay Downs standings all season, but was relatively unknown to most South Florida fans until last Saturday when he sent out Balkrisna Sukharan’s 6-year-old Lookinforthesecret to post a mild upset in the $250,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint on Calder’s inaugural ‘Turf Million’ program.
Ness is back in the Calder entries Saturday with the same owner’s 3-year-old Repenting, who will bid for a fourth consecutive victory in the $36,000 Naked Green overnight stakes at six furlongs, naming jockey Elvis Trujillo to ride facing five rivals his age.
Ness claimed Repenting for $25,000 when he broke his maiden by 4 ¼ lengths in his third career start at Tampa Bay on Feb. 28 and the Florida-bred son of Repent has since won a starter allowance by 7 ¾ lengths on Mar. 25 and the $85,000 Sophomore Stakes by 10 ½ lengths on Apr. 5. The Naked Greed will be Repenting’s first start outside of Tampa Bay.
Completing the field for the Naked Greed are Timothy O’Toole’s Flatter Me Blue, Jacks or Better Farms’ Brooks’n Down, Reniere Dossantos’ Commander Bay, What A Fire Stable’s Orients Tune and MSM Stable’s Successful Love.
Banga Ridge & Silk Ridge Clash in Snurb Overnight
Owner-trainer Jose Pinchin’s Banga Ridge won the OBS Filly Sprint Championship last out in Ocala on Feb. 11 and Hi-Tide Farm’s Silk Ridge ranked among the star juvenile fillies developed at Calder last summer, and the two 3-year-old fillies will meet in a field of nine 3-year-old fillies drawn for Saturday’s $36,000 Snurb overnight stakes at 5 ½ furlongs.
Jockey Elvis Trujillo will be atop Banga Ridge, a chestnut daughter of Snow Ridge that was all-out to score a nose decision in the six-furlong OBS race run over the new synthetic surface there on Feb. 11 in her first start since a dull eighth-place try in the Sunshine Millions Oaks at Gulfstream in late January.
Regular rider Manuel Aguilar will be on Silk Ridge for veteran horseman Gordon Potter. The daughter of Eltish won four of 10 starts with two seconds last year for earnings of $369,000, highlighted by consecutive stakes victories in the Desert Vixen and Susan’s Girl Divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes and the Brave Raj Stakes here before finishing second as the odds-on choice in the My Dear Girl finale.
Silk Ridge’s form tailed off after the My Dear Girl in October as she finished third in the Joe O’Farrell Juvenile Fillies on Florida Million Day, although Banga Ridge was immediately behind her in fourth that day. Silk Ridge has failed to hit the board in three stakes starts since, most recently fifth going 1 1/16 miles in the OBS Filly Championship on Feb. 11.
Completing the field for the Snurb are Marion Montanari’s Therese, Four Horsemen Stable’s Freedom Afleet, Caroni Stable’s Orinoquia, Stride Rite Racing and N T S Stable’s Ariel Bright, Roger Urbina’s Holly Go Lively, Gary Aiken’s Ben’s Tune and Lone Stable’s Cape Cod Lady.
