Sum of the Parts seeks good break in Karl Boyes

Tom Amoss thinks Sum of the Parts is back to his old self, so the veteran trainer is looking forward to the $100,000 Karl Boyes Memorial on Monday at Presque Isle Downs.

“According to how he has worked, he is back to his old self; he has been training great,” Amoss said of Sum of the Parts’s bullet work May 30 at Churchill Downs. “For the first time in his career, he didn’t break well in his last race. He is a very talented horse but relies heavily on the break he gets. He is by far the fastest horse from the gate I have ever trained, and his whole race is based on getting away quickly and then deciding how to go from there. If he doesn’t break well, it changes everything for him.”

Sum of the Parts drew the far-outside post in the field of 11 sprinters. Amoss is confident that the 5-year-old son of Speightstown will run well in the 5 1/2-furlong race.

“I think he will run very well,” Amoss said. “Some might think the outside post is a disadvantage, but with a lot of early speed to the inside, it will make it easier to judge the pace early.”

Julien Leparoux, who rode Sum of the Parts in six starts in 2012 and 2013, will get the mount Monday. “[Leparoux] has had a lot of success on the synthetic with the horse, so I felt it was the best decision,” Amoss said.

Amoss has no firm plans for where his charge is headed. “We plan to see how it goes Monday, and that will determine his path.”

Should all of the speed fold up in the Boyes Memorial, longshot Pitch N Roll could pick up the pieces in the stretch. Trained by Ron Potts Jr., Pitch N Roll comes from off the pace and has won 5 of 6 races at Presque Isle Downs, giving him a 5-for-7 record on synthetic surfaces. The 4-year-old gelding has trained forwardly for his first outing of the year, concluding with a bullet five-furlong work June 1. Huber Villa-Gomez will ride once again.

Trainer John Bourke sends out the coupled entry of speedster Dazzled Saint and closer Holy Highway, both of whom recorded bullet works over the Tapeta surface at Presque Isle on Thursday. Dazzled Saint worked three furlongs in 33.27 seconds, and Holy Highway worked four furlongs in 45.15. Ricky Feliciano and Scott Spieth, respectively, will ride.