Intrepid Heart in career-best form for rich allowance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Intrepid Heart is enjoying a career revival. Good enough to be 6-1 in the 2019 Belmont Stakes, but disappointing enough to later be lost for a $25,000 claiming tag, the 6-year-old gelding is now capitalizing on opportunities like the one he’ll have in the Wednesday feature at Churchill Downs.

Back in the care of Joe Sharp – his eighth trainer in a 26-race career – Intrepid Heart will vie for favoritism in a $141,000 allowance that anchors a nine-race program that kicks off the final week of action at the 14-day September meet.

Intrepid Heart was purchased as a 2-year-old for $750,000 by Robert and Lawana Low in April 2018 before making a splashy debut some 10 months later for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, winning off by nearly eight lengths with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure at Oaklawn Park. An eighth-place finish behind Sir Winston in the Belmont marked his fourth start, and after failing to fully realize expectations, the gray son of Tapit was competing regularly in the higher claiming ranks, going home to new barn after new barn as his career unfolded.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

Sharp, who is on pace to enjoy his best season earnings-wise since he began training eight years ago, assumed his care over the winter at Fair Grounds, with Intrepid Heart never finishing worse than second in his six starts this year while nearing the $500,000 earnings mark. A stalker type with a reliable closing kick and a 100 Beyer on his past performances, he could take some beating when he and Julien Leparoux break from post 2 in a field of eight older horses ready to go 1 1/8 miles in race 8, a third-level allowance with a $100,000 claiming option.

West Will Power (post 1, Florent Geroux), with a career-best 101 Beyer, is his primary challenger in what shapes up as a competitive event. The 5-year-old Gary and Mary West homebred had been off more than 10 months when he made his first start for Brad Cox with a just-miss runner-up finish in the Aug. 6 Cowboy Jones at Ellis Park.

Other considerations in the only allowance of the afternoon include Helium (post 4, Adam Beschizza), riding an eight-race winless streak since his 15-1 upset of the 2021 Tampa Bay Derby, and the OXO Equine stable coupling of Vintage Point (post 5, Gerardo Corrales) and Kittansett (post 6, Ricardo Santana Jr.).

The listed purse includes sizable bonuses restricted to registered Kentucky-breds.

Sunshine and a high in the mid-60s are in the Wednesday forecast. The dirt-only Churchill meet runs through Sunday, with Keeneland starting its fall meet Oct. 7.

◗ Tyler Gaffalione, who leads the local jockey standings by a 9-8 count over Edgar Morales, will be absent Wednesday while he serves a one-day suspension for a whip violation.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.