Loud Mouth targeting Cary Grant Stakes
The disqualification of Peaceful Transfer in Sunday’s $75,000 E.B. Johnston Stakes for California-bred milers at Los Alamitos moved Loud Mouth into the winner’s circle for his first stakes win since November.
This fall, trainer Steve Knapp has a familiar list of goals for Loud Mouth, a 5-year-old horse who has won 8 of 29 starts and earned $374,070. Last November, Loud Mouth won the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes for California-breds at seven furlongs at Del Mar, and the same race on Nov. 21 is on the horse’s schedule this year.
Loud Mouth also is a candidate for the $100,000 California Flag Handicap at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course on Oct. 17 at Santa Anita. Santa Anita announced last week that it will resume limited use of the hillside turf course at the autumn meeting, which runs from from Oct. 1-31.
The Johnston was Loud Mouth’s first start since a fourth in the Thor’s Echo Stakes for California-bred sprinters at Santa Anita in June. Knapp said Loud Mouth was “knocked out” by his early year campaign, leading to a brief early summer rest.
Owned by Ron and Deanna Thomsen, Loud Mouth failed to impress Knapp when he resumed workouts, so much so that the trainer considered abandoning the comeback.
“A couple of his works weren’t to my liking,” Knapp said. “I thought of putting him on the farm, but the owner told me no.”
Loud Mouth was dueling with Peaceful Transfer for the lead in the Johnston when Peaceful Transfer drifted out and bumped him. Loud Mouth finished second by a half-length and was promoted to first after a stewards’ inquiry.
“He’s a game horse,” Knapp said.