Howling Time will skip Belmont, run in Matt Winn Stakes
At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Howling Time was withdrawn from Belmont consideration by trainer Dale Romans early Monday, two days after the Not This Time colt breezed a half-mile in 48.80 seconds.
Romans said he “talked over our options” with Jason Loutsch, racing manager for the Albaugh Family Stables, before settling on the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill the day after the Belmont.
Shipping to run in the Belmont “would’ve been asking a lot,” Romans said. “Hopefully, he’ll run a big one in the Matt Winn and we can join up with the other top 3-year-olds later on this summer.”
Howling Time earned a career-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure in a five-length allowance victory May 21 at Churchill when getting first-time Lasix. That race snapped a streak of three poor efforts that followed a victory in the Street Sense here last Oct. 31. Joe Talamo is the colt’s regular rider.
Cyberknife, the Arkansas Derby winner who was 18th in the Kentucky Derby, is the likely favorite for the 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn.