Vorticity eyes first two-turn win in Coalition Stakes

Vorticity, who made a little bit of noise on the Kentucky Derby trail last year when second in both the Jerome and Withers, could nail down his first two-turn win Saturday in the $75,000 Coalition at Timonium. The Coalition will be the first stakes to be run at the Maryland track since 2008.

A field of nine has signed on for the about 6 1/2-furlong sprint, which will be run at two turns on the five-furlong track at Timonium. Others set to start include Rockinn On Bye, Blu Moon Ace, Greatbullsoffire and Never Gone South.

Vorticity last raced on Aug. 12 in the $74,000 Polynesian over seven furlongs at Laurel, finishing second to Divining Rod, who was making his first start since running second by a head in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in November. In the Polynesian, Vorticity stalked the pace and ended up 6 1/4 lengths behind the winner, who popped a Beyer Speed Figure of 104.

“We ran our race and he ran his, unfortunately,” said Cal Lynch, who trains Vorticity for Matthew Schera. “Divining Rod is a lovely, lovely horse. I thought after a layoff we might catch him a little flat-footed. We ran into a bear.”

Vorticity on Saturday will break from post 2 under Angel Cruz.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on or close to the lead,” said Lynch.

Vorticity, a stakes-winning son of Distorted Humor and the Grade 2-winning mare Tar Heel Mom, is eligible for a $10,000 bonus if he wins the Coalition because he is a Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale graduate. He was a $220,000 purchase at auction in 2015.

Lynch will send out another capable runner in Never Gone South, who won an optional $32,000 claiming sprint two starts ago at Delaware Park, covering six furlongs in 1:09.60.

“He’ll lay fairly close,” said Lynch.

Greatbullsoffire, a three-time stakes winner, launches his 3-year-old season in the Coalition.

– additional reporting by Jim Dunleavy