Red Ruby on track for Fleur de Lis on Stephen Foster night

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Red Ruby, last seen winning the 2018 Delaware Oaks by 13 lengths, is on target to make her return to action in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on the June 15 Stephen Foster night card at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Kellyn Gorder said recently that Red Ruby is training forwardly toward her comeback and that the Grade 2, $750,000 Delaware Handicap on July 14 would follow the Fleur de Lis, assuming all goes well. Red Ruby, a gray 4-year-old filly by Tiznow, has had four timed works at Keeneland since April 25.

“She’s really developed into a big girl,” Gorder said. “She was 1,200 pounds at one point. I’m really happy with the way she looks and the way she’s training.”

Red Ruby, owned by Sandra Sexton and Brandi Nicholson, has won 4 of 6 starts. Immediately prior to the Delaware Oaks last July, she won the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico by 4 3/4 lengths.

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Gorder recounted that Red Ruby was diagnosed with minor stress fractures and bone bruising last summer, causing her to miss the Alabama Stakes and the rest of the year.

“She would have been back sooner than this, but she had a little paddock accident, and that cost us a few more months with her,” Gorder said. “We got her back from WinStar Farm when I got back from Oaklawn Park [in early April], and she’s done just great.”

The return of Red Ruby will coincide with that of her regular rider, Paco Lopez, who has been idle since April 26. Lopez is currently exercising horses at a private facility in Florida while serving a suspension of 30 racing days for “continuous careless riding,” a penalty stemming from infractions at Gulfstream Park in Florida. His first day back will be June 15, after which he will be based primarily at Monmouth Park in New Jersey prior to returning to Kentucky in the fall, said his agent, Cory Moran.

Princess Warrior model patient

Princess Warrior continues to recover from surgery at the Rood and Riddle equine clinic in Lexington, Ky., where the 4-year-old filly will remain for the foreseeable future after having suffered a career-ending injury in a May 10 turf race at Churchill.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but everything has gone really well,” said Kenny McPeek, who trained the Grade 2-winning filly for the Trommer family. “They’ve done an amazing job with her. We’ve made every effort on her behalf.”

Two holiday allowances

Two allowances will serve as co-features on a special Memorial Day card Monday at Churchill. Race 3 is an $89,000, second-level turf route that surely will have Juliet Foxtrot as a heavy favorite off an eye-catching North American debut at Keeneland last month for Juddmonte Farms. Race 8 is an $87,000, first-level sprint that looks far more competitive, with Bump Bailey and Soap Bubble among a core of contenders in a field of 10 3-year-olds.

First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern. After Monday, Churchill goes dark for two days before a four-day week begins Thursday. Saturday (June 1) is a Downs After Dark program with a Woodstock theme.

◗ Gerry Aschinger, who won 48 races in a seven-year training career that ended in 2018, died May 17 at age 74 following an illness. Aschinger was based mostly in Kentucky while wintering at Tampa Bay Downs. His top runners were Dramedy, winner of the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland in 2015, and Lots o’ Lex, winner of the 2016 One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs.

Aschinger is survived by his wife, Dana, and two adult children. No services will be held.