Midnight Bourbon breezes five furlongs, may start in Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It has been four weeks since Midnight Bourbon clipped heels with Hot Rod Charlie, stumbled and unseated his rider, Paco Lopez, in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in a scary-looking incident.

Seemingly none the worse for the incident, Midnight Bourbon two weeks ago returned to the worktab. On Sunday, at Saratoga, Midnight Bourbon had his third and most strenuous workout since the Haskell, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.13 over the Oklahoma main track in company with the older graded stakes winner Max Player. That Midnight Bourbon has done so well since the Haskell has him in play for a potential start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes here Aug. 28.

“He is nominated to the Travers and we will obviously discuss that,” said Asmussen, who trains Midnight Bourbon for Ron Winchell.

There were only nine 3-year-olds nominated to the Travers. Provided Midnight Bourbon runs, it is likely to be a seven-horse field that will include Jim Dandy 1-2-3 finishers Essential Quality, Keepmeinmind, and Masqueparade; Curlin 1-2 finishers Dynamic One and Miles D, and Lexington Stakes winner King Fury. Bourbonic and Weyburn are the other two nominated horses.

Coming out of the Haskell, Midnight Bourbon had some abrasions that were treated topically, Asmussen said. Asmussen added that he jogged Midnight Bourbon a few more days than he normally would coming out of a race just to make sure there wasn’t anything that was missed following a thorough examination of the colt.

Midnight Bourbon, runner-up to Rombauer in the Preakness following a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, had two easier workouts prior to Sunday’s in-company breeze.

On Sunday, Midnight Bourbon worked on the inside of Max Player, beginning a length in front and going in splits of 12.45 seconds, 24.49, 36.74 and holding off Max Player, under Irad Ortiz Jr., by a neck at the wire. The pair galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.95 and seven furlongs in 1:28.92.

“Midnight Bourbon, being a pace horse, is more generous than Max, who is more of a closer,” Asmussen said. “Irad said [Max Player] was nice and relaxed and he had plenty of horse underneath him.”

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Max Player, winner of the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont on July 3, is pointing to the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup here Sept. 4.

Max Player had been training at Belmont Park since the Suburban, but with inclement weather forcing him to miss a workout there, Asmussen had the horse shipped up here last week.

“He’s acting good and traveling great,” Asmussen said of Max Player.

On Monday, Asmussen worked his top two sprinters together, with the 3-year-old Jackie’s Warrior and the 4-year-old Yaupon going five furlongs in 1:01.31 over the Oklahoma training track. Joel Rosario was aboard Jackie’s Warrior, who was outside of Yaupon through splits of 23.88 and 48.41, and they galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.73.

Jackie’s Warrior, recent winner of the Grade 2 Amsterdam, is pointing to the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on Aug. 28, while Yaupon, last year’s Amsterdam winner and recent winner of the Lite the Fuse Stakes at Pimlico, is slated to run in the Grade 1 Forego on the same card.

“I thought they went beautiful,” Asmussen said. “Very excited about this week’s works.”