Breeders’ Cup winner Regally Ready tries to get back on track
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In what seems another lifetime, Regally Ready was the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. A glance at his past performances yields no such clues, given those heroics occurred here at Churchill Downs in November 2011.
Time may have robbed him of a step or two, but there’s little question that Regally Ready remains a favorite in the Steve Asmussen barn. The 7-year-old gelding is set to resurface here Thursday in the featured race, a $58,000 allowance, and the mere mention of his name is enough to put a smile on Asmussen’s face.
“He’s so cool,” Asmussen said. “What a cool man he is, huh? He got a little age on him and decided he wanted to run a little farther.”
Regally Ready, with Rosie Napravnik to ride, will start from post 4 in the eighth of 11 races, a classified allowance scheduled for turf at 1 1/16 miles.
Regally Ready, an earner of $1,349,058 for Vinery Stables, has had six workouts since he faded to eighth in his most recent start, the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile on the March 8 Santa Anita Handicap undercard.
“The Grade 1 was a bit much for him,” Asmussen said. “We kind of eased up on him a little, let him get back into a rhythm. This spot looks like it should really fit him.”
Other contenders in a well-matched feature include Utley (post 1, Joel Rosario), a proven router trained by Jonathan Sheppard; Looking Cool (post 2, Brian Hernandez Jr.), a winner over the course here last fall; Burn the Mortgage (post 7, Robby Albarado), third in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial last out; and Set the Sail (post 8, Shaun Bridgmohan), who figures to be sharp off a five-month layoff for Charlie LoPresti.
Nine are entered, although Bradester will start only if weather forces the race onto the main track.
Two other allowances directly follow the feature as the ninth and 10th races. Race 10, a $54,000, second-level turf mile, is particularly deep, with Jack Milton likely to be a slight favorite for Rosario and Todd Pletcher.
Churchill has come up with a new “Thurby” marketing concept for this “Derby Eve Eve” program, with live music and other special attractions being offered for patrons who typically won’t be in attendance the following two days. An ontrack crowd upward of 20,000 usually turns out for the Thursday of Kentucky Derby Week.
First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern. First post both Friday (Oaks) and Saturday (Derby) is 10:30 a.m.