Fawkes wants firm turf for Reef Runner on route to Breeders' Cup
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On Sunday afternoon, trainer David Fawkes was driving through Pennsylvania, roughly four hours into a 24-hour journey from Saratoga to his base at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
Behind Fawkes, in a trailer, was his star turf sprinter Reef Runner, the winner of the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga on Saturday. After an early Sunday meal and a walk, Reef Runner was loaded onto the van for the lengthy trip.
“We made sure he was okay and got things packed up,” Fawkes said. “We’re on the road.”
The interstate system will be familiar territory for Fawkes and Reef Runner in coming months.
The main goal is a start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31. Reef Runner gained a fees-paid berth into the race with Saturday’s win. Last November at Del Mar, Reef Runner finished fourth in the BC Turf Sprint at Del Mar.
Fawkes is forming a plan for Reef Runner’s summer campaign, with the Grade 2 Troy Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Saratoga on Aug. 9 as a leading option.
“I’d like to stay on the East Coast,” Fawkes said.
Fawkes wants firm turf, too.
“I’ve got to be picky where I go,” he said. “I can’t have a soft track. I don’t want to go into a monsoon.”
The weather was largely dry in advance of the Jaipur other than a brief shower earlier in the afternoon.
Reef Runner, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., closed from third in the final furlong to win the $500,000 Jaipur by 1 1/2 lengths as the 5-1 fourth choice in a field of 10. The Jaipur was Reef Runner’s richest win in the United States. He won the Group 2, $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February in his first start of the year.
Owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, Reef Runner has won 9 of 25 starts and earned $2,177,580.
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