Protonico looks to right ship in Ben Ali
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Protonico was eased in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap as the 5-1 third choice, which came as an unpleasant surprise to Todd Pletcher. On the flip side, Pletcher welcomed the news afterward that nothing was amiss with the colt.
“We couldn’t find anything wrong,” said Pletcher, who happened to win the Feb. 7 Donn with Constitution.
Eight weeks later, with the mystery of Protonico’s poor performance likely never to be solved, the son of Giant’s Causeway will have a prime opportunity to make amends when returning to action in the Grade 3, $150,000 Ben Ali, the first of four Saturday stakes at Keeneland. Pletcher had the colt back on the work tab two weeks after the Donn, and after four more drills, Protonico is ready to resume a career in which he earned back-to-back triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures to end his 3-year-old campaign.
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Protonico will face just five other older horses in the 1 1/8-mile Ben Ali, with Farhaan and Golden Ticket perhaps the chief threats.
Speaking of Giant’s Causeway, the race named in his honor will be the spot in which Free as a Bird will try for her seventh straight stakes victory when facing 11 other filly and mare turf sprinters Saturday. Trained by Ian Wilkes for owner-breeder Elizabeth Valando, Free as a Bird ended 2014 with five straight wins, all in ungraded races, before overcoming trouble to win her 6-year-old debut March 18 at Gulfstream Park.
Ageless and Richies Party Girl are the other top contenders in the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway, the only ungraded stakes of this spring meet.
The Ben Ali goes as the fifth race Saturday, with the Giant’s Causeway following about an hour later as the seventh.
Ben Ali (race 5)
Key contenders
Protonico (Last 3 Beyers: N/A-103-101)
* Inconsistency has plagued him. Although several of his nine starts have resulted in huge efforts – most notably his wins in the Smarty Jones and Discovery and a runner-up finish to Hoppertunity in the Grade 1 Clark last fall – he has thrown in three clunkers, the Donn being the latest.
Farhaan (Last 3 Beyers: 106-89-88)
* He broke through with a career-high Beyer in winning a restricted stakes at Saratoga last summer for Kiaran McLaughlin, who then put him on the shelf before bringing him back this winter at Palm Meadows.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Farhaan. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is 21-6-6-1 with a $1.26 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes following a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Ami’s Holiday. Trainer Josie Carroll is 10-4-0-3 with a $3.66 ROI over the past five years going turf to dirt in routes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Irish You Well. Trainer Wayne Catalano is 18-6-2-4 with a $2.58 ROI over the past two years in dirt routes in the third start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Giant’s Causeway (race 7)
Key contenders
Free as a Bird (Last 3 Beyers: 88-93-90)
* Mare has developed a kick that’s great fun to follow, as she drops back down the backstretch before getting a full head of steam passing the quarter pole. Wilkes is hoping to make the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with her in late October after having to miss it last year because of a travel mishap.
Ageless (Last 3 Beyers: 96-89-86)
* Lael Stables mare was the last horse to defeat Free as a Bird, doing so here in the 2014 Giant’s Causeway, when outkicking her in the final yards after a fast pace took its toll. She is very much in her comfort zone in races just like this.