Brake Lights sidelined due to chip

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Brake Lights, who figured to be among the chief rivals for the speedy Eightyfiveinafifty in the $100,000 Whirlaway Stakes here on Feb. 6, is sidelined indefinitely due to a chip in his left front ankle.

Brake Lights, a son of Saint Liam owned by William Warren and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, had the chip surgically removed about two weeks ago and is recuperating on a Lexington, Ky., farm.

McLaughlin said Brake Lights likely came out of a Jan. 2 maiden victory over the inner track with the chip.

"Unfortunate timing," McLaughlin said Thursday from south Florida. "Nice horse. He should be back this summer."

After finishing fifth in his debut sprinting here Dec. 5, Brake Lights rolled to a 9 1/2-length victory here Jan. 2 when stretched out around two turns. Brake Lights got loose on the lead that day under Ramon Dominguez and ran a mile and 70 yards in 1:43.50 while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 87. That time was significantly faster than Laus Deo's time of 1:44.91 at the same distance winning the Count Fleet Stakes later that day.

Nominations for the Whirlaway, run at 1 1/16 miles over the inner track, close Saturday.

Repole has plenty of sprinters

Mike Repole will be represented in Saturday's $65,000 Paumonok Stakes by probable favorite Driven by Success, just one of the owner's talented sprinters.

Repole had three others nominated to the Paumonok, run at six furlongs. Digger, who won the Gravesend here on Dec. 26, came back to win the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park on Jan. 16 and is being pointed to the General George Handicap, also at Laurel, on Feb. 15.

Roaring Lion, who won the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap at Laurel in September, was scratched out of the Fire Plug when he came up with a stone bruise, according to trainer Bruce Levine.

The Roundhouse, who also was nominated to the Gravesend, could probably run in an allowance race.

Another Repole-owned sprinter, Go Go Shoot, has been turned out for the winter at Jimmy Crupi's farm in Ocala, Fla. A two-time stakes winner in 2009, Go Go Shoot's best performance of the year came when he was beaten a length by Fabulous Strike in the Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga in August. Following that, Go Go Shoot finished last of four in the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont and seventh as the favorite in the Fall Highweight at Aqueduct.

"He'll probably start back [training] next month," Levine said. "His last two weren't very good, so we decided to turn him out. We could have run in the Sunshine Millions, but if he doesn't run any good there then you got to turn him out and you blow the whole summer."

Haynesfield resumes training

Haynesfield, sidelined the last month after injuring a foot during training, went back to the track Tuesday, according to Toby Sheets, the Belmont-based assistant for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Haynesfield, who won the Count Fleet and Whirlaway over the inner track last winter, finished the year strong with victories in the Empire Classic and the Grade 3 Discovery. He had been under consideration for the Grade 1 Donn Handicap on Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park, but that plan went awry when he tore part of his foot off, known as a grabbed quarter, during a gallop.

"No rush, no hurry, nothing picked out," Sheets said. "He'll jog for a couple of weeks, progress slowly. It's all up to him, he'll tell us where he's at."

Meanwhile, Mr. Grievance, a 17-length maiden winner in December off a year layoff for the Asmussen barn, makes his first start against winners in Saturday's seventh race, a first-level allowance race for New York-breds.

Mr. Grievance debuted for $50,000 claiming in November 2008, when he finished fourth in a nine-horse field. In his comeback race last Dec. 13, Mr. Grievance went gate to wire under Cornelio Velasquez, running six furlongs in 1:12.17 and earning an 87 Beyer.

"He had ability, he had issues like typical horses," Sheets said. "Little immature, he grew into himself. I just hope we can repeat that monster effort."