Izzy the Warrior sticks to sprinting in quest for third straight win

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

That was basically trainer Dale Romans’s reaction when asked why his undefeated Izzy the Warrior would stay at six furlongs for Friday’s $49,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park rather than stretching out off a couple of come-from-behind victories at that distance to launch a career that began belatedly in November of his 3-year-old season.

Izzy the Warrior rallied from midpack to a convincing three-length maiden special weight triumph when finally making it to the races last fall at Churchill Downs. He returned here seven weeks later and used similar tactics to register a neck decision despite a four-wide trip, improving eight points on the Beyer Speed Figure scale.

“It took him a while to come around. He just had some little issues that slowed him up from getting to the races earlier,” said Romans, who trains Izzy the Warrior for owner Jim Bakke. “He’s always shown he had talent, and we thought he was worth waiting for. The fact that he’s a 4-year-old, not 3, means I’m in no rush to stretch him out to a mile and a quarter or anything like that. So, we’ll keep him at six furlongs for now, and when the time is right, we’ll maybe think about trying him around two turns.”

Only five others signed on for Friday’s fourth race, open to nonwinners of three races lifetime and $35,000 claimers, including the Grade 2-placed Hammers Vision, who returns to allowance company after being outrun against stakes competition in his last two starts at 3.

Hammers Vision, third behind Exaggerator in the 2015 Saratoga Special, faced allowance opposition three times in 2016, posting a win and two second-place finishes, including a nose setback against a strong bunch of higher-priced optional claimers last fall at Belmont Park.

J S Bach is the only four-time winner in the lineup and is one of three in this field in for the $35,000 price tag. J S Bach returns to the main track off a failed turf experiment here last month in which he vied for the early lead before fading to finish nearly a dozen lengths behind the winner. The outing was the second disappointing try in a row for the stakes-placed Florida-bred J S Bach, who broke poorly to lose his best chance over a wet track early in the meet.

Colormepompom and Aces for John, both three-time winners, also will start for a claiming tag, with the speedy Mr. Business, the likely pacesetter, rounding out the compact lineup.

Race 4

Key Contenders

Izzy the Warrior, by Warrior’s Reward

Last 2 Beyers 80-73

◗ Romans gives jockey Luis Saez the return call. The pair has teamed up to win with 9 of their 39 starters over the past three years for a profitable $3.13 return on investment, including a win by Brody’s Cause in the 2015 Blue Grass Stakes.

Hammers Vision, by Court Vision

Last 3 Beyers: 77-86-96

◗ He has never competed at six furlongs on the main track but won his maiden at that distance when launching his career over the Belmont turf course in July 2015.