Da Big Hoss may still be on the rise

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It might well be argued that Da Big Hoss already has become one of the greatest claims in American racing history. The 5-year-old Da Big Hoss has won six stakes and nearly $1.1 million since changing hands some 14 months ago.

The scary part: His connections feel like they might just be getting started.

“That’s the feeling,” said Harvey Diamond, the retired physician who with Jimmy Shircliff heads the Louisville-based Skychai Racing partnership that owns Da Big Hoss. “He might bounce sooner or later, but he does just seem to keep on rolling.”

Based at the Trackside training center with trainer Mike Maker, Da Big Hoss now has earned $1,198,536 after his dominating triumph as an odds-on favorite in the Grade 3 American St. Leger on the Arlington Million undercard last Saturday. All except for the $106,476 he earned for his breeders and original owners, Gary and Mary West, has come for Skychai (pronounced “sky-high”).

Da Big Hoss will race next in the $600,000 Kentucky Turf Cup on Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. It’s a race he won last year as his roll was just getting under way. After being claimed in a three-way shake for $50,000 at Churchill Downs on June 21, 2015, Da Big Hoss has won 6 of 10 starts for Skychai, with all of his wins coming in long-distance turf stakes: the ungraded John’s Call at Saratoga, the Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup, the Grade 3 John B. Connally at Sam Houston, the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland, the ungraded Belmont Gold Cup, and the St. Leger.

After the St. Leger, Diamond was briefly interviewed on Arlington in-house television and said: “We’re just lucky and grateful. We were there on the right day at the right time.”

Maker, in his usual understated way, said before the St. Leger: “I let Da Big Hoss train himself and not get in his way.”

Only two horses to make the National Museum and Racing Hall of Fame were ever claimed: Stymie and Lava Man. Some others, such as Seabiscuit and John Henry, competed for tags but were not claimed.

Lava Man, an earner of more than $5.2 million, is the best of claims in more recent times, ahead of these horses who went on to win one or more Grade 1 races or a Breeders’ Cup event after being claimed: Palace, Iotapa, Belle Gallantey, Moonshine Mullin, Big Macher, Maryfield, and Furthest Land.

Last fall at Keeneland, Da Big Hoss was 60-1 when finishing sixth behind Found and Golden Horn in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Diamond said a return to the BC Turf on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita is “definitely on the radar,” but Skychai also is “getting all kinds of inquiries, including two separate ones from Australia to run in the [Oct. 13] Caulfield Cup and [Nov. 1] Melbourne Cup. Let’s just say they’ve got our interest. People keep telling me you’ll never go to a more exciting race than the Melbourne Cup, that it’s more exciting than the Kentucky Derby. It would definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Diamond said “while we’re dreaming big,” the group also would like to get an invitation to the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan next March.

“Obviously, this is all keyed on the horse staying healthy and continuing to run well,” he said. “We’ll be at Kentucky Downs for the next one and hope for the best.”

Not This Time eyes Iroquois

As usual, the most meaningful racing at the Ellis Park summer meet is being done by 2-year-olds.

Several were sharp maiden winners last week at the western Kentucky track, most notably Not This Time, who earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for a 10-length victory going a mile Aug. 12. Trainer Dale Romans told Ellis publicity afterward from Saratoga: “He’s the real deal. This is a serious, serious racehorse. I knew that he was special. It’s nice for him to go on and back up what he was showing in training.”

Not This Time will run Sept. 17 in the Iroquois Stakes on opening weekend of the 11-day September meet at Churchill. The Grade 3 Iroquois is a Win and You’re In race toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Among the top horses to compete as 2-year-olds at Ellis in recent years were Grade 1 winners Keen Ice and Brody’s Cause, both for Romans, as well as On Fire Baby, Mo Tom, and Java’s War. Going back further, other Ellis 2-year-olds included such standouts as Boston Harbor, Cat Thief, Caressing, Richter Scale, and Lawyer Ron.

Mena leads tight pack

With 20 of 30 cards complete at Ellis, the jockey race continues to be very tight. Into Friday, Miguel Mena has the lead with 16 winners, but six other riders are right there: Corey Lanerie (15), Didiel Osorio (15), Robby Albarado (14), Brian Hernandez Jr. (14), Jimmy Graham (13), and Chris Landeros (12).

Albarado, meanwhile, is out until Sunday while serving a three-day suspension for an Aug. 5 riding infraction at Ellis. Also, Lanerie was awaiting word Wednesday from the Arlington stewards in regard to the incident last Saturday in the Pucker Up Stakes that resulted in his mount, Try Your Luck, being disqualified from first to third.

Borel’s first mount a maiden

Kiss My Note is the name of the unraced 2-year-old whom Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel is scheduled to ride in his return from a five-month layoff next Saturday, Aug. 27, at Ellis.

Borel, who last rode March 26 at Oaklawn Park, confirmed Monday his return from retirement. Kiss My Note is a Buff Bradley homebred colt by Maclean’s Music. Borel has been living at Bradley’s farm in Frankfort, Ky., in recent weeks while working many of his horses in the morning at Churchill.

◗ The lone allowance on an eight-race Friday card at Ellis is a $39,000, first-level mile out of the clubhouse chute. Starship Zeus, with Lanerie riding for trainer Murat Sancal, is a lukewarm morning-line favorite in a field of seven.

◗ The next two Saturdays will feature the ever-popular wiener-dog races between the horse races. First post daily is 12:50 p.m. Central.