Ivar returns to training after missing Maker's Mark Mile and Turf Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ivar, the Brazilian-bred turf standout, is back training after recovering from a minor hoof injury that forced him to miss a couple of recent Grade 1 turf races.

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Ivar was scratched from both the April 15 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland and the May 7 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs while troubled by what Lobo described “as a sore heel on the inside of his left front hoof.”

Lobo said Sunday that Ivar is training daily again at his Thoroughbred training center base in Lexington, Ky., and will be pointed long-range to the Arlington Million, to be run at Churchill for the first time Aug. 13, ideally with a prep race in the interim. “Maybe a classified allowance if one will fill in maybe four weeks or so,” said Lobo, noting Ivar would have certain conditions because his most recent victory came in October 2020 in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

:: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more

Ivar, a 6-year-old horse owned by Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I, has not breezed since April 30. He has earned a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure in six of his last seven races, the most recent being a 102 when third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar in November. His earnings from 11 overall starts, including three to start his career in Argentina, stand at $906,913.

:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures

Meanwhile, the Lobo-trained In Love will run next in either the Blame or Grade 3 Arlington Stakes, both set for June 4 at Churchill. In Love, also a 6-year-old Brazilian-bred, won the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile last October. He has earned $755,950 for the same ownership.