Cool Bullet looks to rebound in Turfway's Forego Stakes

Cool Bullet looked like a hot prospect in capturing the Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park last spring, but those hopes have been tempered in the interim. Now 4, Cool Bullet has won just once in six subsequent starts, including decisive defeats in his last four, all of which has led trainer Steve Margolis back to where they started.

“I sent him back there to try to get him back in the game,” Margolis said Thursday from his winter headquarters at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Cool Bullet is one of 12 older horses set to clash Saturday in the $50,000 Forego Stakes at Turfway in Florence, Ky. Margolis said he is throwing out a recent turf defeat for the Florida-bred gelding and is hopeful that the addition of blinkers for the 6 1/2-furlong Polytrack race will lead to a more representative effort.

“He’s been training awfully well, and he likes the track there at Turfway,” Margolis said.

Cool Bullet, with Jozbin Santana to ride, will break from post 8 as the likely favorite. His top challenger appears to be Tend, a $333,087 earner who was the beaten favorite in the last Turfway race in this division, the Jan. 1 Holiday Cheer. Other possibilities include Parioli’s Trick, Grand Daddy, and Bee Line’s Edge.

Meanwhile, one of the 20 Forego nominees, Western Prospector, recently suffered a condylar fracture in training at Oaklawn Park, although trainer Randy Matthews said the injury should be healed by fall. Western Prospector won the Holiday Cheer last out.

Also, Ravalo, an earner of more than $980,000, was not shipped from Maryland because the 7-year-old gelding has not been tested for Equine Piroplasmosis as has been required for all starters at Turfway since Jan. 1.

“I wanted to run but wasn’t aware we needed that,” trainer Donnie Barr said.

This is the 28th running of the Forego, named for the three-time Horse of the Year (1974-76). First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern, with the Forego (5:02) carded as the ninth of 10 races.

Except for Vinery Racing Spiral Day, March 26, this is the last Saturday card with an afternoon post time. Turfway is switching to a 5:30 p.m. post for Saturdays at this meet starting Feb. 5.