Strong field may require a shift from Four Wheel Drive

Four Wheel Drive had a three-win 2-year-old season culminating in Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint glory. He has speed, he has gears, and he can get over wet turf, but breaking from post 1 complicates Four Wheel Drive’s journey in his 3-year-old debut Sunday at Churchill Downs.

Four Wheel Drive starts in the featured ninth race, a stakes-quality 5 ½-furlong turf allowance restricted to 3-year-olds.

Jockey Irad Ortiz was named to ride Four Wheel Drive but is expected to ride Saturday at Gulfstream Park, which, under Churchill’s COVID-19 protocols, bars him from riding Sunday at Churchill. Trainer Wesley Ward said Thursday a replacement jockey hadn’t yet been secured.

Four Wheel Drive’s trip could turn tricky from post 1, a draw Ward said he hates. “It’s always a concern,” he said.

Jack and Noah, drawn in post 4, outran Four Wheel Drive early in the Futurity Stakes last fall at Belmont Park. Four Wheel Drive sat second in the clear and comfortably ran Jack and Noah down to win easily. There were six horses in the Futurity, 12 are entered Sunday. If he doesn’t make the front, Four Wheel Drive might be forced to rate behind horses.

“We’ve worked with him on that in the morning, but till he does it in the afternoon, you don’t know,” said Ward.

Ward also can’t be certain Four Wheel Drive wasn’t an early-developing 2-year-old. “He has a beautiful demeanor, does everything right, but is he going to translate his 2-year-old form to 3?” Ward said. “A lot of them I’ve trained do, some don’t.”

There’s plenty of weekend rain in the Louisville forecast; Ward said he’ll scratch Four Wheel Drive if the race is switched to dirt but isn’t worried about wet turf. Ward said a breeze last fall on a soggy Keeneland course showed him Four Wheel Drive isn’t bothered by cut in the ground.

“A lot of them were floundering – he skipped over it,” Ward said.

Ward also will start Maven, who won a straight-course Group 3 sprint last June at Chantilly. Maven came out of a 10th-place finish in the Molecomb Stakes with a knee injury that required surgical repair and is training well, Ward said, but so far has not demonstrated nearly the same quality as Four Wheel Drive.

At odds-on favoritism, Four Wheel Drive probably is worth playing against, and there are several plausible alternatives.

Chimney Rock finished second in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint and was gaining on Four Wheel Drive at the finish after belatedly changing leads. His declining Beyer Speed Figures resulted from racing on dirt and around two turns. Turf sprints are what he wants.

Guildsman had a good six-start 2-year-old European campaign that began with a six-length Goodwood romp over soft turf. He broke poorly at Gulfstream March 21 in his American debut, finished third, and can improve.

Hopeful Treasure got a perfect trip winning last out at Aqueduct in a race that looks better on paper than it did visually, but brings a wealth of turf pedigree into his grass debut and has positional speed.

Bango also makes his turf debut and won a Polytrack stakes at Turfway last out in his first start away from dirt.