Colorful Tour aimed for Chicago Six

Colorful Tour, the dominant Illinois-bred 3-year-old this year, will make one more start at Hawthorne, according to trainer Noel Hickey.

Colorful Tour is being pointed toward the $40,000 Chicago Six Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 1. The meet's closing-day feature, the Chicago Six will be Colorful Tour's first race in open company against older horses.

"After that we're sending him to Oaklawn," Hickey said.

Though Hickey said it was too early early to say whether the Oaklawn Handicap was a possible goal for Colorful Tour, there will be no shortage of opportunities for the colt at Oaklawn. Other stakes for older horses at Oaklawn include the Essex and Razorback handicaps.

Colorful Tour, a homebred of Hickey's Irish Acres Farm, won the Land of Lincoln, Springfield, and Demetri's Boy stakes this year. He also finished second in the Illinois Coronet versus older horses, and was placed third in the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby. He also finished a distant second to eventual Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem in an allowance at Sportsman's Park in March.

Colorful Tour is a candidate for Illinois-bred Horse of the Year and the likely state 3-year-old champion.