O'Dwyer punctuates hot streak with juvenile winners

When trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer came to Laurel Park in the spring of 2017 he had three horses. Today he has 19, and when Silverbulletday winner Needs Supervision rejoins his barn later this month she’ll make an even 20.

O’Dwyer, a 37-year-old native of Tipperary, Ireland, is on an 8-for-17 run. On May 1, he won the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs with Rookie Salsa and the next day sent out the Maryland-bred 2-year-old filly Punk Rock Princess to win a maiden race at Laurel. Jockey Angel Suarez was aboard for both wins.

Rookie Salsa was a $15,000 yearling buy at the Fasig-Tipton October sale in Lexington, Ky. O’Dwyer purchased Punk Rock Princess the same month for $25,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale in Timonium, Md.

Rookie Salsa, who scored by 1 1/2 lengths at Churchill as a 27-1 outsider, is now 2 for 2 and is owned by Designated Hitters Racing, a Maryland-based partnership. O’Dwyer said Rookie Salsa came out of his race in good shape and is under consideration for one of two upcoming stakes.

“He is a precocious-looking horse, and growing stronger,” O’Dwyer said. “We tried to give him a few easy days when we got him home from Kentucky but he wouldn’t have it.

“We’ll likely do one of two things with him. We’ll either go to the Tremont in New York or back to Churchill for the Bashford Manor.”

The $150,000 Tremont is a 5 1/2-furlong race at Belmont Park on June 7. If O’Dwyer were to win the Tremont, he would keep a Maryland streak alive. Trainer Cal Lynch won the race last year with Our Braintrust. Horacio De Paz won it the year before with He Hate Me.

The Grade 3, $100,000 Bashford Manor is a six-furlong race June 29.

Punk Rock Princess, whom O’Dwyer owns with Trevor Johnson and Dan Slattery, was the first winner for freshman sire Bourbon Courage. O’Dwyer said she could make her next start in the $150,000 Astoria going 5 1/2 furlongs at Belmont on June 6. Her maiden victory came at 4 1/2 furlongs.

“She’s not a big filly but she’s very well balanced,” O’Dwyer said. “A little bit more distance will help her.”

The Kentucky Juvenile was O’Dwyer’s second stakes win. His first came with Needs Supervision in the Silverbulletday at Fair Ground in January. Needs Supervision came into that race off an optional-claiming victory at Churchill and a Laurel Park maiden score.

O’Dwyer worked Needs Supervision at Keeneland on March 29, but then sent her to WinStar Farm for a freshening.

“She scoped a little dirty after her last breeze,” O’Dwyer said. “We were thinking about the Ashland for her but she’s been so good to us, so we sent her to the farm.”

O’Dwyer had a chance to visit Needs Supervision at WinStar last week when he was in Kentucky with Rookie Salsa.

“She really blossoming,” he said. “I expect her to rejoin the barn here in Maryland in two to three weeks time and then we’ll start her back up again.”