Tom's Tribute eyes Shoemaker Mile

Tom’s Tribute equaled Wise Dan’s 2012 Santa Anita course record for a mile on grass when he zoomed from the back of the field to win the Thunder Road Stakes in 1:31.78 on April 6. The win gave trainer Jim Cassidy a clear idea of how he wanted to campaign Tom’s Tribute through the summer.

“Rather than jar him up with a race every three or four weeks, I’d like to save him for the end of the year,” Cassidy said.

The strategy meant skipping the $100,000 American Stakes on May 17 in favor of the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile on June 14. The Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile will be a test for Tom’s Tribute, who will race against Winning Prize, the winner of the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes in February and the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 8, and Obviously, who won the Grade 3 American Stakes last month.

The Shoemaker Mile will be the first start in a Grade 1 for Tom’s Tribute since a seventh in the Kilroe Mile. A 4-year-old colt, Tom’s Tribute was second in the Arcadia. Cassidy is hopeful that the Shoemaker will lead to the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Kent Desormeaux will have the mount on Tom’s Tribute, replacing Mike Smith, who is riding at Churchill Downs on June 14.