Surgical Strike has a turf derby in his future

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Surgical Strike came out of his narrow win Saturday in the Grade 3 Arlington Classic in good shape and went back to training Wednesday in Kentucky, trainer Ben Colebrook said.

“Everything looks great with him,” said Colebrook, who added blinkers to help produce Surgical Strike’s first grades stakes win, which got an 86 Beyer Speed Figure. “We’ll watch the Pennine Ridge this weekend at Belmont and see what happens there, wait for the Belmont Derby invitations to come out, and it’ll be that or the American Derby at Arlington.”

◗ Leigh Court, a multiple graded stakes winner and earner of almost $800,000, has been bred to Uncle Mo and will be retired if she gets in foal, trainer Mike Stidham said.

The 6-year-old mare ran well below form May 8 at Woodbine and, after being sent to Kentucky, was found to have the same cannon-bone bruising that sent her to the sidelines last year.

“It was going to be another wait again, so that’s why while there still was a chance to get her in foal this year, they did it,” Stidham said.

Leigh Court, a Grand Slam mare owned by Speedway Stable, was trained for her first 14 starts by Josie Carroll. She won half of her 18 starts, including the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America, and was effective on dirt, turf, and all-weather. She finished a close fifth in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

◗ Flipcup, who got a 91 Beyer in winning the Grade 3 Arlington Matron on Saturday, is back in trainer Bill Mott’s string at Churchill Downs and came out of her race in good shape, assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy said. There are no set plans for the mare, but Mott would like to keep her on synthetic surfaces, which means a trip to Woodbine seems likely.