A cutback in distance will benefit Beautiful War

The 3-year-old gelding Beautiful War is by War of Will, a route horse on both turf and dirt, and out of the Tiznow mare Cultured, a turf-route horse during her undistinguished racing career. Beautiful War debuted in a two-turn turf mile, and won, and in his third race was stretched out to 1 3/16 miles on grass.

A trainer unwilling to adjust their priors is a trainer who won’t get the most out of their stock, and after a fourth straight middling finish in a first-level turf route allowance, trainer David Fawkes shook things up. He cut Beautiful War back to a sprint and unearthed considerably stronger form than the gelding had yet exhibited.

On Aug. 8, Beautiful War finished second by a neck in the $132,000 Colonial Turf Dash; the horse who beat him, Doubting Thomas, returned to win the Bricks and Mortar Stakes last weekend at Belmont. Beautiful War returned to finish a close third of a dozen in a $193,000 Kentucky Downs allowance race. He just failed to see out a testing 6 1/2 furlongs through the uphill finish at Kentucky Downs but stands a great chance of winning the featured eighth race Friday at Keeneland.

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Beautiful War tries his shortest race yet, 5 1/2 furlongs, and from the appearance of his two longer turf sprints – where he coughed up late leads – Beautiful War might appreciate cutting back another furlong.

Beautiful War appears to have thrived since his Kentucky Downs start: Video of his two workouts since that race shows a turf horses breezing with real verve over the Churchill Downs main track. Tyler Gaffalione has a return call, and it’s difficult seeing how Beautiful War, as the morning-line predicts, will be the 7-2 second choice and not a solid favorite.

The morning line has as the 5-2 favorite a horse named Red Square, who won a Kentucky Downs maiden sprint in his third outing. Beautiful War has made seven starts. Only in the last two did he find his calling.

Turf Sprint for ‘Dazzle’?

Time to Dazzle on Sunday won the Franklin Stakes – a grass sprint for older fillies and mares – for the second year in a row. She earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure, and given her obvious fondness for autumn turf at Keeneland, trainer Mark Casse reasonably is taking a look at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The grass course Sunday was sodden and tiring, and Time to Dazzle now has gone 2 for 2 in turf sprints over wet courses.

◗ Yomar Ortiz Jr. makes his riding debut this week at Keeneland. The 17-year-old has most recently been working for trainer Joe Sharp, who has put Ortiz on his first mounts. Jockey agent Liz Morris has Ortiz’s book. Ortiz’s father, Yomar Ortiz Sr., is an active jockey on the Mid-Atlantic circuit.

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