Foley may run O Besos in Matt Winn Stakes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – These are very busy but happy times for veteran trainer Greg Foley, who sent out Sconsin to a rousing triumph Saturday evening in the Grade 3 Winning Colors and was considering Monday whether to run O Besos in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn this coming Saturday.
“Maybe,” said Foley. “Either the Matt Winn or one of these other 3-year-old races coming up.”
O Besos, most recently fifth in the Kentucky Derby, breezed a solo half-mile in 49 seconds before daybreak Monday.
The Winn will be supported by five other $150,000 stakes Saturday afternoon at Churchill. Helium, eighth in the Kentucky Derby for Mark Casse, is among the confirmed Winn starters, and he could vie for favoritism with O Besos. Brad Cox, who has four 3-year-olds nominated to the 1 1/16-mile Winn, has eliminated Derby runner-up Mandaloun and Caddo River from the race but will enter Fulsome.
Hidden Stash, 14th in the Derby, also will not run in the Winn, according to Brian Klatsky of BBN Racing. The Pegasus, Indiana Derby, and Ohio Derby are among the next-race possibilities for the Constitution colt, said Klatsky.
As for Sconsin, who earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure when getting the six-furlong Winning Colors in 1:08.80, she likely runs back in the 6 1/2-furlong Roxelana here June 19, said Foley. “If she runs good there, we might even try the race at Saratoga,” he added, referring to the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 28.
Foley said he also expects Major Fed, 10th in the 2020 Kentucky Derby last September, could resurface in an allowance sometime before the Churchill spring meet ends June 26. The Ghostzapper colt is still eligible for a first-level condition.
The other five Saturday stakes at Churchill are the Blame, Audubon, Regret, Shawnee, and Aristides. The 1 1/8-mile Blame is the local prep for the closing-day Stephen Foster, the intended target of the Godolphin standout Maxfield.