Bodenheimer lands at Prairie for juvenile stakes

Bodenheimer is making a previously unscheduled stop in the $50,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile.

Valorie Lund trains Bodenheimer for Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden. One of the Midwest’s sharpest juvenile winners this summer, Bodenheimer was being pointed toward the Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, but Lund was informed by the Churchill racing department that Bodenheimer was likely to be excluded from an oversubscribed Iroquois. The race’s field is determined by total earnings and Bodenheimer, Lund was told, ranks 18th.

Lund already had been considering running Bodenheimer in the Prairie Gold Juvenile, run at six furlongs compared to the Iroquois’s one mile, and so on Saturday she will drive Bodenheimer from her Canterbury Park base south to Prairie Meadows for a night racing start.

Bodenheimer is listed at odds of 9-2 after drawing the outside post in a seven-horse field. That price is preposterous. Bodenheimer, racing in a five-furlong turf sprint on July 29, won his lone start by more than 11 lengths and earned a robust 82 Beyer Speed Figure, the race’s best figure by 17 points. Lund believes that Bodenheimer, a son of Atta Boy Roy and Beautiful Daniele, by A.P. Indy, will prove to be a better horse on dirt.

“He came out of his race like it was nothing, and he can use the experience. If he does well, we can go on to the Iroquois,” said Lund.

Bodenheimer raced with Lasix last month but runs without it this time. Lund said Bodenheimer had a reaction to Lasix when he was scheduled to work on Aug. 16. The breeze was delayed until the following morning, and Lund said she won’t administer Lasix to the colt again. The Iroquois, as it happens, is a Lasix-free race.

Chicks Dig Scars has finished first three times this Prairie meet (he was disqualified from his debut win), and Hulen, coming out of a fourth in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill and a third in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, looks like stronger competition for Bodenheimer.

The $50,000 Prairie Gold Lassie drew nine entrants and looks highly competitive. Steve Asmussen, who starts Hulen, sends out Lacey Boss, a sharp debut winner at Lone Star and compromised by a poor start finishing eighth in the Aug. 9 Runhappy Debutante at Ellis.