Tiz the Bomb, Red Danger square off in Bourbon Stakes
Tiz the Bomb and Red Danger both showcased themselves with rich stakes victories on the unique Kentucky Downs turf course in September. They’ll run at the same track again in October – at Keeneland – and this time in the same starting gate as they eye the same rich prize. The two colts loom large as the only stakes winners in the field, and with the best Beyer Speed Figures of the bunch, for Sunday’s Grade 2 Bourbon Stakes on turf.
The 1 1/16-mile Bourbon offers more than just its $200,000 purse. The race awards its winner an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar. It is one of two Win and You’re In races Sunday on the Keeneland turf leading into that Future Stars Friday Breeders’ Cup card.
Tiz the Bomb, a son of 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It a Bomb, races for Phoenix Thoroughbreds and trainer Ken McPeek. The colt dazzled with a 14 1/4-length maiden victory going a mile at Ellis Park in a race taken off the turf. He eventually successfully moved to turf with a three-quarter-length score in the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile on Sept. 6. That earned him a Beyer of 76, the field’s best number.
“He’s got a license to be a good one,” McPeek said. “We’re thrilled with the way he ran.”
Three days later, Red Danger took the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint with a 74 Beyer to remain unbeaten on turf. The son of Kentucky Derby winner Orb will stretch out beyond that 6 1/2-furlong distance for the first time here. His pedigree, as well as his performance on the Kentucky Downs course, gives trainer Brian Lynch optimism that the Silverton Hill colorbearer will stretch out.
“Mike Luzzi worked him for me up at Saratoga and he said, ‘Not only did he work good, I just couldn’t pull him up,’ ” Lynch said. “That gave me hope that we could press forward in the 6 1/2, and gave us a glimmer of hope he could be Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf horse. [Kentucky Downs] is an undulating sort of track, so 6 1/2 plays like seven.”
Tiz the Bomb, who drew post 12 in the full field of 14, has options for regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr. The colt won his maiden on the lead, but pounced late in his Kentucky Downs win. Red Danger, who drew post 10 under Luis Saez, would prefer to track off the pace.
Heaven Street and Play Action Pass have also broken the 70 mark in their speed figures and have tested stakes company. Heaven Street won his maiden in June on the Indiana turf with a Beyer of 74. He proceeded to finish third in the Soaring Free Stakes sprinting on the Woodbine turf, then stretched out to a mile to earn a 71 in an allowance victory at Kentucky Downs.
Play Action Pass earned a 73 while finishing third to Tiz the Bomb in the Juvenile Mile.
Rocket One, a $600,000 Keeneland September yearling by versatile leading sire Into Mischief, won his maiden going a mile at Kentucky Downs with a 68 Beyer. Lucky Boss finished second in the Ellis Park Juvenile on dirt with a 69.
Two races earlier on the card, the $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes awards its winner a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Wesley Ward, who has sent out the past two Juvenile Turf Sprint winners in the race’s three editions, has a strong duo of fillies for this race in Averly Jane and Kaufymaker. Averly Jane is an unbeaten stakes winner sprinting on dirt, taking the Kentucky Juvenile and an off-the-turf edition of the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86 in the latter.
Averly Jane will thus be trying turf for the first time. The filly is by Midshipman, sire of solid turf horses such as graded stakes-winning turf sprinter Lady Shipman – dam of Ward’s 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal.
Kaufymaker was part of Ward’s Royal Ascot fleet, running eighth in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. After a brief freshening, she returned to action at Kentucky Downs, leading briefly in the stretch of the Juvenile Sprint before tiring late to finish third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Red Danger. She should be tighter for her second start off the layoff, and is shortening up from 6 1/2 furlongs to 5 1/2 furlongs here.
Pure Panic, an Ellis maiden winner on the turf, was second to Averly Jane in the Skidmore. Diamond City won his maiden in the Ontario Racing Stakes on Woodbine’s turf.