Right time for Korbyn Gold
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Korbyn Gold looks like the right horse at the right time in Friday's featured eighth race.
The eighth is a $49,000 allowance with four-other-than conditions and an optional claim price of $85,000. The Steve Asmussen-trained Korbyn Gold, who has shown good form in three races on the inner track, drew the outside in a field of eight older male sprinters set to go six furlongs.
"He does really well in the wintertime," said assistant trainer Toby Sheets. "He's doing really good right now."
An earner of more than $228,000, cost a mere $4,000 as a yearling, and was good enough as a juvenile to finish third in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs.
"Steve buys a lot of horses out of that Texas sale," said Sheets. "He doesn't look like a $4,000 horse. He's a big, strapping horse - you'd think he'd be a router, but he's a better sprinter."
In his first start on the inner track, Korbyn Gold finished second in a key race, a $50,000 claiming sprint that produced four next-out winners. His encore performance came on Dec. 30, when he responded to an aggressive hand ride from Stewart Elliott and wired $75,000 sprinters with a lifetime top Beyer Speed Figure of 100.
Korbyn Gold's next and most recent start was the Paumonok Handicap. He again ran well, despite bobbling at the start, but that was the day that Don Six freaked with a 116 Beyer, and Korbyn Gold had little chance after breaking last.
Wheaton's Aly (post 2) and the plucky fighter Bold Days (post 4) also have good early speed and figure to argue the fractions with Korbyn Gold.
, a consistent 6-year-old with 14 exacta finishes from 22 starts on fast tracks, makes his third start back from a layoff. He had the misfortune to be chasing the multiple stakes winner Shake You Down when the latter returned to top form here Feb. 20.
has been involved in photo finishes in four of his last five starts, including wins at Delaware Park (by a nose), Pimlico (by a neck), and most recently on the inner track (by a nose) when he took advantage of a golden rail. He carries high weight of 123 pounds under the conditions.
Also in the field are Brucker's Brother, My Poker Player, Albert E., Excellent Band, and Ironton.