Calder: King's Bishop could feature rematch between Fort Loudon, Trinniberg

Coady Photography

Carry Back winner Fort Loudon (left) and runner-up Trinniberg are likely to clash again in the Aug. 25 King's Bishop at Saratoga.

MIAMI – Fort Loudon and Trinniberg put on quite a show in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Carry Back at Calder, and there’s a good chance the two locally based colts could meet again Aug. 25 at Saratoga in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop.

The six-furlong Carry Back turned into a virtual match race between the two favorites. Fort Loudon forced Trinniberg’s pace from the outset before forging to a narrow advantage near the sixteenth pole, and then dug in tenaciously to maintain a neck advantage at the wire. The victory earned Fort Loudon a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure. Trinniberg posted a 102, four points lower than his top mark, received four weeks earlier for his win in Belmont Park’s Grade 2 Woody Stephens.

Trainer Stanley Gold said that despite the hard effort Fort Loudon bounced back quickly and returned to the track for a routine gallop on Tuesday.

“He was lit up the next day and again Monday, like he didn’t even run,” said Gold on Tuesday. “He went to the track today and was full of bounce. I’m real happy about that.”

Gold’s strategy to take the race right to Trinniberg was implemented perfectly by jockey Fernando Jara and ultimately proved the difference in the Carry Back.

“He doesn’t have to go to the front like that, but in this case we needed to send him and he’s got the speed to do it if you ask,” said Gold. “But he’s also very easy to rate, very tactical, and when you do ask he’ll respond.”

Gold ruled out Saratoga’s July 29 Amsterdam as the next option for Fort Loudon, who has won three straight stakes since turning back to six furlongs following a steady diet of longer races against the best of his division this past winter at Gulfstream Park.

“The Amsterdam comes up too soon, and since that race is not under consideration, it will give us plenty of time to think about what we want to do next,” said Gold “The King’s Bishop is obviously out there and I certainly wouldn’t be afraid of taking him up there to face Trinniberg again.”

Although Trinniberg came out second best as the 1-5 favorite in the Carry Back, owner Shivananda Parbhoo was pleased with his performance on Saturday.

“It was kind of a last-minute decision to run him in this race instead of the Amsterdam and it just didn’t work out,” said Parbhoo. “We got beat by a very nice horse, although I won’t say a better horse until he beats us again. I was very happy with Trinniberg’s effort and it was a very nice setup for his next start, which will definitely be the King’s Bishop.”

Parbhoo, who has been given stalls on the Oklahoma training track this summer at Saratoga, said he plans to ship Trinniberg and a couple of his stablemates up to New York within the next week.