Boppy O, Andthewinneris rematch a subplot in wide-open Bourbon Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Boppy O and Andthewinneris were both precocious debut winners in the spring who tried stakes company on dirt before stretching out on turf this summer at Saratoga. The result was a neck win in the Grade 3 With Anticipation for Boppy O, with Andthewinneris a creditable third.

The colts get a rematch and have plenty of other competition in the Grade 2, $350,000 Bourbon Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland, which drew an overflow field. The 1 1/16-mile race is a Win and You’re In automatic qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 4 at Keeneland. The Bourbon purse includes bonuses for Kentucky-breds.

Boppy O was a debut winner sprinting on Gulfstream Park’s dirt in May for Mark Casse before finishing 10th in the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga. The colt’s pedigree – he is from the first crop of Bolt d’Oro and out of a Scat Daddy mare who was graded-placed on turf – prompted Casse to breeze him on turf.

“My feeling is that Bolt d’Oro, a lot of them are going to be grass horses,” Casse said. “So it was about the grass, but it was also I wanted to run him farther. I had thought about running him in the Sapling, just because it was two turns at Monmouth. But then I said, ‘You know, I’m going to breeze this horse over the grass.’ I thought he breezed good enough on the grass that he deserved a shot.”

In his first race on turf and around two turns, Boppy O pressed the pace, took over, and held on by a neck to win the With Anticipation. Dylan Davis retains the mount Sunday, and the duo drew post 6 in the main field of 12. If the colt runs a similar race, he is likely to get pace pressure from the immediate inside (Rarified Flair in post 5), from the immediate outside (Hendrickson, post 7), and from further outside (Gigante, post 9).

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Gigante and Rarified Flair made up the exacta in the Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs. Hendrickson was a mile maiden winner on synthetic at Presque Isle, defeating a next-out winner.

Andthewinneris landed in post 12 with Flavien Prat, which may be fine as he would prefer to drop in behind the early speed and come with a run. Prat was on the colt, who is from the first crop of multiple turf Grade 1 winner Oscar Performance, when he won his debut sprinting on the Keeneland turf in April, rallying from sixth.

He tried dirt and finished third in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs, beaten just a nose for second, then was third by 1 3/4 lengths with Prat back aboard in the With Anticipation, his two-turn debut.

“He showed us a lot of promise when he won first out,” trainer Wayne Catalano said. “Susan [Moulton] bred him, and he’s a really nice-looking colt.”

Joining Boppy O and Gigante as stakes winners in the field is Reckoning Force, who will be hoping for speed to develop in front of him. He rallied to win the Juvenile Mile at Kentucky Downs for Joseph O’Brien and has since been transferred to Brendan Walsh to continue campaigning in the United States.

Deer District and Really Good were second and third, respectively, in that race.

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