Plainsman using Bold Ruler as a stop on the way to Cigar Mile
ELMONT, N.Y. – No one would have been surprised to see Plainsman among the names pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. With four wins from his last five starts, including a victory in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs, many connections might have given it a shot.
While it was briefly under consideration, trainer Brad Cox and owner John Ed Anthony of Short Leaf Stable decided to target the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct. They will use Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap, a seven-furlong race at Belmont Park, to get there.
Plainsman will be ridden by Joel Rosario.
“With what he’s accomplished this year, we thought the Bold Ruler made the most amount of sense,” Cox said. “He likes the NYRA tracks, he’s had success at Belmont and Aqueduct. Joel fits him well and he was available, so we’ll give this a shot.”
Plainsman’s victory in the Ack Ack came over Beau Liam, a 3-year-old who won two allowance races at Saratoga impressively.
“I thought it was really a good, deep group of horses – a large field – and he was able to beat a horse that has a bright future,” Cox said. “Big performance.”
A field of eight was entered for the Bold Ruler, including Wondrwherecraigis, who won the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga in August. He crossed the finish line first in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on Sept. 18 at Laurel Park, but was disqualified for drifting out in the stretch.
Sunday, he will run farther than six furlongs for the first time.
“We’ve kind of been going back and forth about it,” trainer Brittany Russell said of running Wondrwherecraigis at seven furlongs. “You really don’t know until you try. He trains in the morning like it shouldn’t be an issue. That’s what we’re going to hope.”
Russell said that jockey Sheldon Russell, her husband, has gotten on Wondrwherecraigis often and told her, “With the right trip, he feels like he can get it.”
Wondrwherecraigis has plenty of early speed, and Russell hopes he doesn’t get hooked up in a pace battle under Luis Saez.
“I’ll leave it up to Luis and hope it works out,” Russell said. “You don’t want to take speed away from the horse, either. That’s his big asset.”
Wendell Fong was the runner-up in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct in March, and he makes his first start since that race in the Bold Ruler. Natalia Lynch trained Wendell Fong for his last five starts. Chad Summers is his current trainer. Summers said the goal this winter is for an international campaign, and he is hoping this race gets him off on solid footing.
“Seven-eighths off the layoff isn’t something that’s easy to do, but we want to see where we’re at and he’s ready to run,” Summers said. “This is the race we had circled since Saratoga, so I’m glad everything was able to come to fruition.”
Lil Commissioner, unraced since January, is slated to return in this spot for trainer Rob Atras. Bal Harbour, Drafted, Continuation, and Amatteroftime complete the field.