Improbable Journey faces a trio of comebackers

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Improbable Journey will have an improbable cheerleader Sunday, when he goes for his second win of the meet in the featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park.

The horse’s fan base includes Buddy, a 15-year-old African Grey parrot. He’s owned by trainer Larry Jones, who said his beloved pet will become quite vocal when Improbable Journey breaks from post 2.

“Buddy does watch horse racing on TV,” Jones said. “He’ll start carrying on and hollering, ‘Go, go, go!’ ”

Improbable Journey is part of a field of seven in the allowance feature for 4-year-olds and up who have never won three races. The six-furlong sprint drew a pair of Grade 3-placed layoff runners in Cogburn and Chasing Time, and another talented comebacker in Life Is Hard.

Improbable Journey has recency on all of those rivals. In December, he won a first-level allowance at Oaklawn.

“We’re hoping maybe they need a race,” Jones said.

Improbable Journey will break right outside of Cogburn, a quick horse who is making his first start since running second in the Grade 3 Chick Lang in May at Pimlico. Gabe Saez will be aboard Improbable Journey.

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“I like the race setup,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we can lay off [Cogburn]. He’ll give us a target, if [Improbable Journey] will just wait. Hopefully, it all goes good.”

Improbable Journey wired his December foes. He’s made one start since, finishing fifth in a two-other-than allowance Jan. 8. The six-furlong race went in a quick 1:09.30. Edge to Edge, who won, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102 and was flattered when runner-up Payne returned to win an Oaklawn allowance with a Beyer of 98.

Improbable Journey’s win this meet came in the slop, and Jones will be rooting for rain Sunday.

“This horse prefers the slop,” Jones said. “He’s a great off-track horse. We’re hoping the track comes up a little wet. It will not hurt our chances any. It’s a tough race.”

Chasing Time was third in the Chick Lang. He’s making his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Ellis Park Derby in August.

Life Is Hard was an eight-length maiden special weight winner last season at Oaklawn. He is making his first start since June.

Improbable Journey is a son of Majesticperfection and the unraced mare Vivian’s Grace. He’s owned by breeder Dreamchaser Thorobreds, an ownership group of four longtime partners that includes Jones.

“We bought her mother for a little bit of nothing at the sale,” Jones said. “She was crooked, but had a pedigree out of this world. We knew that she wasn’t going to be a racehorse herself, but she might make a good broodmare.”

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Jones splits his time between his Kentucky farm and Oaklawn. He said he has six horses in training, and has an ownership stake in five of them, keeping with a decision he made last year to stick closer to home with a smaller stable and primarily train for himself.

Jones previously operated a large stable that had significant success with runners like Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and Grade 1 winners Street Band, I’m a Chatterbox, Lovely Maria, Joyful Victory, Believe You Can, Kodiak Kowboy, Proud Spell, Hard Spun, Wildcat Bettie B, and Island Sand.

“It’s just kind of for the fun now,” Jones said.

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