Palm Beach Stakes winner changes barns

Joes Blazing Aaron, wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes on the Gulfstream Park turf in his last start, has been moved into the barn of trainer Mike Maker and will try to move into the Kentucky Derby picture by running next in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Polytrack at Keeneland.

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Maker confirmed Tuesday that Joes Blazing Aaron will train at the Trackside training center in Louisville toward the April 16 Blue Grass. A 3-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Graeme Hall, Joes Blazing Aaron was coming off a 73-1 victory in a $50,000 turf claiming route at Gulfstream when he won the March 12 Palm Beach at 11-1. Those two turf races followed seven far less successful tries on dirt, most of them in claiming company.

Dr. Joseph Witek, a south Florida radiologist, is the owner and breeder of Joes Blazing Aaron, whose previous trainer, Allan Hunter Jr., is based at Calder. Maker sent out Stately Victor to win the Blue Grass last year at 40-1, making the colt the longest-priced winner in race history.

Joes Blazing Aaron earned $90,000 in winning the Palm Beach and most likely would need to increase that total to make the 20-horse cutoff that is perennially invoked for the Derby.