Presque Isle: Getaway Guy figures up front in Tom Ridge Stakes

Getaway Guy has been a different horse since trainer Greg Foley put blinkers on him in February at Fair Grounds. Foley hopes that proves to be the case when the gelding is part of a full field of 12 3-year-olds in the $100,000 Tom Ridge at Presque Isle Downs on Wednesday evening.

“Putting the blinkers on him has really turned him around,” Foley said.

Getaway Guy won in gate-to-wire fashion by nearly five lengths in his first try with blinkers Feb. 14 on the turf at Fair Grounds. After a third at Turfway in the Hansel on March 26, Getaway Guy won an optional claimer at Keeneland, again in gate-to-wire fashion.

Foley was glad to see the race at Presque Isle on the calendar.

“There was a race at Pimlico on Saturday that we nominated him to also, but he seems to like a synthetic track, so we thought this would be a better spot,” Foley said. “He broke his maiden at Keeneland and then his last race there was pretty impressive.”

Although there is an abundance of speed in the six-furlong Tom Ridge, Foley is not concerned.

“He doesn’t have to have the lead, I am just going to let Julien use his judgment,” Foley said of jockey Julien Leparoux. “As long as he can have him running relaxed, I think we will be fine.”

Foley has no immediate plans for Getaway Guy’s next race.

“We have so many options – he has won on turf, synthetics, and has been working great on the dirt,” Foley said.

Getaway Guy worked a bullet five furlongs at Churchill last Thursday.

The speed to the outside will come from Bug Juice. Trained by Bruce Levine, the gelding won three in a row last season, including the $282,000 New York Breeders Futurity by 10 lengths on Oct. 2. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 for the futurity win, the highest lifetime number in the field. Bug Juice is ready for a good effort, according to Levine.

“We blew him out this week, he is doing great,” Levine said.

Irwin Rosendo will ride Bug Juice for the first time.

Should those two burn each other out, Glint appears ready to pounce. Trainer Kellyn Gorder said his horse is back to the form he showed before having a bone chip removed. Glint won the Fitz Dixon Memorial on Sept. 22 at Presque Isle.

“After he won the race here last year, he had a chip removed,” Gorder said. “We brought him back this spring and hoped to run in the sprint series at Oaklawn, but because of weather, we got behind.”

Glint came from far back to win the Fritz Dixon. The colt ran third in the Mountain Valley at Oaklawn in his first out this year and comes in off a second-place finish in the slop at Indiana Downs on May 2. Francisco Torres will ride.