Sonic Boom gets class relief, could fuel big Memorial Day for Wilkes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Perhaps the only man busier than Ian Wilkes on Memorial Day at Churchill Downs will be Steve Buttleman.

Wilkes has horses entered in five of the 11 races on a rare Monday card at Churchill, the most starters of any trainer on a program that starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Buttleman will counter with something for all 11 races: The longtime Churchill bugler will toot out patriotic tunes during every post parade, with an unmistakable lean toward John Philip Sousa.

Among the Wilkes entries are Sonic Boom in race 9 and Oso Ready in race 10, both in allowances restricted to 3-year-olds. Of the pair, Sonic Boom clearly rates the best chance when exiting a rugged renewal of the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes last month at Keeneland.

Owned by Lothenbach Stables, Sonic Boom won the Columbia Stakes on the March 11 Tampa Bay Derby card before finishing seventh in the Transylvania, a race won by Big Score and contested by the likes of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Oscar Performance, graded stakes winner Ticonderoga, and next-out winner Makarios.

“We’re just trying to get back in a winning way with him,” said Wilkes. “I’m trying to help him with a little class relief here. After the Transylvania, I saw this race coming up and thought I’d point for it to get him ready for the second half of the year.”

Sonic Boom, with Julien Leparoux back to ride, is one of eight in race 9, a $53,000 allowance scheduled for a mile on turf and governed by a restriction of “never won three, life.” It’s a fairly contentious spot, as Royal by Nature and Thirstforlife also figure to attract their fair share of wagering action.

One race later, Oso Ready figures at a considerably longer price in a $51,000, first-level allowance at seven furlongs on the main track. The son of More Than Ready will be newly equipped with blinkers when stretching out from back-to-back turf sprints as one of the longshots in a bulky field that figures to have Awesome Saturday, One of a Kind, Colonelsdarktemper, and Bam Bam Bryan among a core of lukewarm favorites.

One other allowance, a $51,000, first-level race at 1 3/8 miles on turf (race 5), also is part of a solid Monday card. Corby, Sister Blues, and What’s In A Kiss head up a well-matched group of fillies and mares.

After Monday, Churchill will go dark for two days before a four-day race week starts with a twilight Thursday program. The Grade 3 Aristides on Saturday is the weekend highlight.