Hofburg wraps up preparations for Fayette

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Hofburg concluded his major preparations for his next start in the Fayette Stakes when breezing five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Monday over a fast track at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said Sunday at Keeneland that he intended to enter Hofburg in the Fayette, provided the Monday work went well. With that, Hofburg figures to come a solid favorite Saturday in what was expected to be a medium-sized field of 3-year-olds and up when entries were taken Wednesday for the Grade 2, $200,000 Fayette, the closing-day feature of the Keeneland fall meet.

One of the more enigmatic horses of 2018, Hofburg has been alternately brilliant and disappointing for Mott and owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms. Off a runner-up finish behind Audbile in his stakes debut in the March 31 Florida Derby, the 3-year-old Tapit colt was 27-1 when finishing seventh with considerable trouble behind Justify in the Kentucky Derby.

Hofburg then ran third behind Justify in the Belmont Stakes before posting an easy victory in the restricted Curlin Stakes at Saratoga in late July. After missing the Aug. 25 Travers when spiking a fever a week beforehand, the colt then finished fourth, beaten 10 lengths, behind McKinzie in his most recent start, the Sept. 22 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. That subpar effort led Juddmonte and Mott to withdraw Hofburg from consideration for the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill.

The Monday work was the second for Hofburg since the Parx race, following an Oct. 13 breeze over the training track at Saratoga, where the colt had been stabled for about five months prior to being shipped to Churchill last week. He worked Monday in company with Krampus, a 4-year-old gelding who has raced exclusively on turf for Mott.

Other probables for the 1 1/8-mile Fayette include Hence, Leofric, Name Changer, Prime Attraction, Rated R Superstar, and Scuba.