Pirate's Punch looking for a second Salvator Mile win
Pirate’s Punch won the Salvator Mile when the Monmouth fixture was contested last September, and he will try to win it again Saturday in his first race since November.
Pirate’s Punch exited a 12th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with a chipped knee that required surgical repair. Trainer Grant Forster took plenty of time bringing Pirate’s Punch back into racing shape and has deemed him ready for Saturday’s Grade 3 Salvator Mile.
“It’s been amazingly uneventful getting him ready,” Forster said. “He’s doing fantastic, hasn’t missed a day or a work. We’ve got a really good foundation into him, and I think he’s fit enough to win.
Pirate’s Punch crossed the wire first last year at Monmouth in the Grade 3 Iselin but took a controversial disqualification before returning to win the Salvator Mile. He looked like a contender in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, but never reached contention.
“He wasn’t himself at all,” Forster said. “Usually down the backside he’s tugging the rider along, but he had to be pushed.”
Pirate’s Punch’s main rival Saturday figures to be the Saffie Joseph-trained Ny Traffic.