Lynch readying Shred the Gnar for La Troienne

Generally, the racing year has gone great for trainer Brian Lynch. The afternoon of Feb. 14 did not go so great.

Lynch ran five horses that day at Gulfstream, the highest-placed finisher third at odds-on. The 4-year-old filly Shred the Gnar went off the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Royal Delta and lost by nearly 20 lengths.

Beaten a neck sprinting in her debut, Shred the Gnar scored blowout wins in a Gulfstream maiden mile and a 1 1/16-mile Churchill first-level allowance, but she suffered an injury that took her out of the Acorn last June at Saratoga. She returned from a half-year layoff by sharply winning the Grade 3 Chilukki at Churchill before the Royal Delta debacle.

Lynch doesn’t know what went wrong. Shred the Gnar had a bit of a rough run into the first turn and failed to make the lead after racing wire to wire in her wins. The filly got back to breezing just a couple weeks after the Royal Delta and since has worked steadily. She’s going to the $1 million La Troienne on May 1 at Churchill.

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“Put a line through her last race. She’s training really good,” Lynch said.

Lynch has several other stakes runners for Kentucky Derby week. He scratched Wolfie’s Dynaghost from the Maker’s Mark Mile to aim for the Turf Classic, while 3-year-old turf filly Storm’s Wake, winner of the Appalachian on April 2 at Keeneland, runs in the Edgewood. Slay the Day, a 3-year-old filly turf sprinter who won the Limestone on April 10 at Keeneland, runs in the Mamzelle.

Sister Troienne, a beaten favorite in the Appalachian after a busy and successful winter, will get a break and aim for a midsummer return, Lynch said.

◗ Rhetorical, third with a challenging trip in the Maker’s Mark Mile, his first start since a good fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, came out of the race in good order and will next run in the one-mile Poker on June 7 at Saratoga, trainer Will Walden said.

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