Castleknock tries to take them all the way in allowance

Castleknock used his forward style to win a maiden race and to earn a second-place finish in a graded stakes earlier this month. He will use that speed on Sunday in an allowance race for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in an attempt to get his second win.

“He’s a one-way kind of guy,” trainer Peter Miller said on Friday.

Castleknock won as the pacesetter in his turf debut, a one-mile maiden special weight race at Del Mar on July 31. Castleknock faded to finish seventh of eight in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile at a mile on turf on Sept. 14, then was second to Packs a Wahlop in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 9.

Packs a Wahlop, trained by Jeff Mullins, is a contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 4. Castleknock finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Packs a Wahlop in the Zuma Beach.

“I was very pleased with how my horse ran,” Miller said. “If he repeats that race, I think he’ll be tough to beat.

“I think Jeff’s horse is a very good 2-year-old turf horse.”

Owned by John Rochfort, Wire to Wire Stables, Michael Nentwig, Jeff Fink, and Miller, Castleknock is one of two Miller-trained runners in a field of seven along with Kid Azteca.

By Sharp Azteca, Kid Azteca stalked the pace and won a maiden special weight race at six furlongs on turf on Sept. 30 in his fifth start.

“He is likely to run from off the pace,” Miller said. “I think it’s a nice one-two punch.”

Miller said that if Castleknock runs well on Sunday, he will start in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Dec. 4. Miller said he wants to give Castleknock a race between the Zuma Beach and the DeMille.

“I didn’t want to wait that long to run him when he’s good,” Miller said. “He’s good right now.”

The allowance race will be the turf debut for Classical Cat, who won a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 20 in his first start and was seventh of nine in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 11.

Trained by Phil D’Amato, Classical Cat has a turf pedigree. He is by Mendelssohn, who won the 2017 BC Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, and is out of Conquest Strate Up, a turf stakes winner at Woodbine in 2015.

The Bullion Bomber, who is trained by Peter Eurton, has run twice and makes his first start in the U.S. on Sunday. The Bullion Bomber was 11th of 12 in an allowance race on turf at Ascot Racecourse in England in July and won a maiden special weight race on the synthetic track at Chelmsford City near London two weeks later.