Tapiture looks to bounce back in Ack Ack

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Always highly regarded, Tapiture hasn’t won in more than a year now. The 4-year-old colt was particularly dull in his most recent start in the Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows in late June, and given nine weeks to regroup, he is looking to regain his form in the Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs.

“I like how he’s worked and how he’s acting,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Tapiture for owner and breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds. “I have no excuses for him in Iowa other than it just wasn’t his night. We’re looking for him to move forward in the Ack Ack.”

Tapiture is the leading earner in a field of seven older horses entered in the Ack Ack, which is run at a flat mile out of the Longfield Avenue chute. A victory would lift his bankroll past the $1.5 million mark and “get us back to where we want to be with him heading into the fall,” said Asmussen.

Viva Majorca, a late-running sprinter stretching out to a mile for the first time this year, perhaps is the top threat to Tapiture in the Ack Ack, the first of two Grade 3, $100,000 stakes that precede the Lukas Classic on an 11-race Saturday card.

One of the fringe contenders in the Ack Ack is Agent Di Nozzo, whose 23-1 upset on the Kentucky Derby undercard remains a benchmark of sorts.

“He hasn’t run back to that yet, but the way he’s trained the last few weeks, I think he could be sitting on a good one,” said trainer Steve Margolis.

The Ack Ack (race 8) will be run some 30 minutes before the Jefferson Cup (race 9), a highly contentious one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds. With an original field of 11 reduced to at most nine – trainer Tevis McCauley said Sylven Park and Wild and Unbridled will be scratched – the Jefferson Cup remains a terrific betting event that can be attacked from a variety of angles. Nun the Less, High Noon Rider, Syntax, and Saham already are stakes winners in a lineup filled with speed and possibilities.

One of those on the fringes is Wayward Kitten, a Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred making just his second start in nearly nine months.

“We’re still eligible for the a-other-than, but we should fit really well in there,” said trainer Wesley Ward.

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Ack Ack (race 8)

Key contenders

Tapiture (Last 3 Beyers: 62-91-96)

* The last time he lost so resoundingly was in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, after which he rebounded by winning the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill. His connections clearly are looking for a similar bounce back on the strength of six workouts (four at Saratoga and two at Churchill).

Viva Majorca (Last 3 Beyers: 96-96-98)

* Whitney Stables homebred has done his best work over this track, having won 3 of 6 starts here, most notably a victory over a solid group in the Kelly’s Landing Stakes on closing night of the spring meet. He comes favorably drawn toward the outside and will be set to pounce.

Agent Di Nozzo (Last 3 Beyers: 78-88-93)

* Useful 6-year-old gelding has racked up more than $440,000 in earnings bouncing between minor stakes and high-end allowance races. He returns to his preferred distance and surface after subpar efforts in his last two.

Jefferson Cup (race 9)

Key contenders

Nun the Less (Last 3 Beyers: 86-81-76)

* Chicago-based chestnut comes favorably drawn on the hedge when getting a return call from the red-hot Florent Geroux off their victory in a $200,000 grass stakes at Canterbury Park. The solid closing kick he has developed could prove useful, given the likelihood of plenty of pace in here.

High Noon Rider (Last 3 Beyers: 90-78-85)

* Dominating score in an ungraded stakes at the end of the Saratoga meet must be validated since he was 11-1 when using unfamiliar front-end tactics. He gets perennial leading jockey Corey Lanerie to dole out that speed in precise rations.

Syntax (Last 3 Beyers: 79-80-87)

* Two-back winner of the Grade 3 Kent Stakes over the Delaware Park turf was third as the favorite behind Nun the Less at Canterbury and has trained right along here at Churchill in the interim for Bill Mott assistant Kenny McCarthy. He owns an effective late punch.