Duggan puts blinkers on Kant Hurry Love for Dancin Renee Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Kant Hurry Love is the defending champion in Sunday’s $125,000 Dancin Renee Stakes at Aqueduct and comes into the 2024 renewal off a big effort when a narrowly beaten second against open company in the Correction Stakes in her most recent start. But her trainer, David Duggan, is realistic enough to know his filly is still going to need to find a little something more if she’s to make it back-to-back victories in the six-furlong dash for New York-bred fillies and mares.

With that in mind, Duggan will put blinkers on Kant Hurry Love for the first time when she goes up against a solid group led by Sterling Silver, who is strictly the one to beat returning to statebred company following a pair of promising efforts against Grade 1 opposition.

Kant Hurry Love stalked, then ran down the speedy 3-2 favorite Grannys Connection to register a well-deserved nose verdict in the 2023 Dancin Renee at Belmont Park. She has gone winless in six subsequent starts but has been stakes-placed four times. She dropped frustrating neck and nose decisions to her nemesis Hot Fudge in the Garland of Roses and Correction stakes, respectively.

“I hate changing things with a horse who has been running so well, but I thought maybe she wasn’t totally focused in her last few starts,” Duggan said. “So I attached a pair of blinkers on her for her last several works and they seem to have kept her engaged without making her too aggressive.

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“I figured I had to change something since she’s going to have to step up her game, having landed in a pretty tough spot on Sunday, and I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s coming into the race.”

Sterling Silver finished third, three-quarters of a length behind Kant Hurry Love, in last year’s Dancin Renee but has improved dramatically ever since. She was first across the wire only to be disqualified from an apparent victory in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom here in October, won the restricted Iroquois four weeks later, and is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Madison and fifth-place effort against an even tougher field in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff last month at Churchill Downs.

Sterling Silver was transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after the Derby City Distaff and has trained forwardly for her return to New York, including an eye-catching five furlongs in 1:00.60 over the Oklahoma training track on June 10 in Saratoga.

Security Code, a New York-bred stakes winner here this past winter; Leeloo, who was formerly trained by Duggan; and Majestic Return and Captainsdaughter round out the field.

McCarthy to ride at Colonial

Kant Hurry Love will have her regular rider, Trevor McCarthy, aboard in the Dancin Renee. McCarthy, a mainstay on the New York circuit since the winter of 2020-21, has opted to make a change at the conclusion of the Aqueduct meet and will move his tack to Colonial Downs for the summer where he will hook up with veteran agent Kevin Meyocks.

McCarthy has had considerable success at Colonial in the past, including winning an incredible 14 races from just 33 mounts in 2020.

“I rode down there twice, back in 2019 and 2020, it’s been a tough year for me here in New York and I just want to kind of take a step back to take a step forward,” McCarthy explained. “Go down there for the summer during Saratoga, which is usually kind of a tough time for me here. Take the summer to regroup and build back my confidence with the trainers and the owners, hopefully have a very successful meet, and then come back here in the fall.”

Colonial will race Thursday through Saturday beginning July 11. McCarthy said he’s hopeful he’ll still be able to pick up some business at Saratoga on Sundays and Wednesdays throughout the summer.

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“My wife Katie [Davis] will be up there in New York, so I’ll kind of be going back and forth anyway,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, you have a family and you want to spend every minute with them, but you’ve also got to support them. It will be a tough summer to juggle both, but I’m willing to make that kind of sacrifice.”

Duggan said he, for one, is rooting hard for McCarthy to succeed and make it back to New York on a regular basis next fall.

“I’ve had a great relationship with Trevor, his knowledge, positivity, and ability to give me solid feedback on every horse he rides has been a big advantage for me,” Duggan said. “He definitely deserves better and to have the opportunity to rebrand himself, as we all do.”

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