Give Me the Lute preps for Green Flash in Friday allowance
After a hard-fought win in his 2022 debut in June, Give Me the Lute continues his campaign in turf sprints in an $86,000 allowance race at Del Mar on Friday.
Give Me the Lute won his first start of 2022 in the Albany Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Golden Gate Fields, leading throughout to prevail by a neck against a talented field of eight Northern California rivals.
At Del Mar on Friday, Give Me the Lute will start from the outside of seven at five furlongs on turf and is one of four stakes winners in the field along with Dubai Key, Kanderel and Whatmakessammyrun. The presence of Air Force Red, the winner of an allowance race for turf sprinters at Santa Anita in April and in June, adds greater depth to the field.
Give Me the Lute, a 6-year-old gelding, is trained by Andy Mathis who hopes to start the 6-year-old gelding in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on turf on Sept. 4, pending Friday’s race.
“I think we’ll know after this race,” Mathis said. “It’s good timing to that race.”
Last August, Give Me the Lute was second in the Green Flash Handicap to Lieutenant Dan, who was later second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Owned by Rod and Wendy Hogan, Give Me the Lute tends to run near the front. He has won 5 of 11 starts and earned $107,160 since being claimed for $80,000 in August 2019 at Del Mar.
Give Me the Lute won the Albany Stakes for the second consecutive year on June 11. The eight-week gap between races is a positive, Mathis said, especially since Give Me the Lute had not raced since last October.
“I like the timing,” Mathis said. “I hate to wheel a horse back off a win, off a layoff, a hard race. I think he’s moved forward off that race.
“He’s ready to go. He’ll have to bring his ‘A’ game if he’s going to compete.”
Whatmakessammyrun may be a slight favorite. The winner of the Desert Code Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf at Santa Anita in 2021, Whatmakessammyrun is winless in three starts this year, all at Churchill or Belmont. Whatmakessammyrun, who races from off the pace, has been gelded since his last start, a fourth-place finish in an allowance race at six furlongs on turf at Belmont Park on June 23.
The missing runner in Friday’s allowance race is Lieutenant Dan, who has not raced since the BC Turf Sprint. Trained by Steve Miyadi for owner and breeder Nick Alexander, Lieutenant Dan worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds at Del Mar on Wednesday, his first major exercise in a month.