Wolfie's Dynaghost goes for Kentucky Cup Classic repeat

Wolfie’s Dynaghost and Botanical both won stakes on Turfway Park’s biggest annual day of racing in 2023. They’re back as that program rolls back around Saturday, with Wolfie’s Dynaghost looking to repeat in the Grade 3, $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic for older horses, and Botanical seeking another Turfway stakes win in the $250,000 Latonia Stakes for fillies and mares.

The Kentucky Cup Classic, a longtime fall staple, was resurrected as a spring event in 2018 after a multi-year hiatus and was upgraded to a Grade 3 this year. Wolfie’s Dynaghost will try to join Nun the Less (2019-20) as the only two-time winner of the race.

In his most recent outings, Wolfie’s Dynaghost won the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes in November at Woodbine and then took the Prairie Bayou Stakes in December at Turfway. The gaps in his schedule, trainer Jonathan Thomas said, are due to picking spots that suit the gelding’s surface and distance preferences. He said the schedule works because Wolfie’s Dynaghost runs well fresh, typified by last year’s Kentucky Cup victory off a two-month break.

“He’s doing well,” Thomas said. “He had a pretty ambitious year last year. He went a lot of places.”

Wolfie’s Dynaghost, who won last year’s Kentucky Cup in front-running fashion, drew post 3 in the full field of 12 under Jose Ortiz. Thomas said the gelding does not necessarily need the lead in a field with a few forward types.

“I’m sure he’ll be forwardly placed,” Thomas said. “Whether that means he’s on the lead or not . . . we’ll leave that up to Jose. We’re certainly not going to take anything away from him.”

:: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!

Coming from behind will be Surly Furious, in his best form this winter at Turfway. After winning the Forego Stakes sprinting, he stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for an eight-length win in the Dust Commander Stakes over Kitodan, a graded stakes winner whom he faces again Saturday.

Surly Furious drew the rail under Abel Cedillo.

“He’ll probably let those other horses get away,” trainer Glenn Wismer said. “I think he’ll just break and sit back a little bit, and then he’ll find his way, hopefully.”

Surly Furious last lost at the hands of Funtastic Again in an allowance/optional-claiming race in January at Turfway. That was the first start in more than seven months for the Funtastic Again, who won the 2023 Leonatus Stakes and was third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby.

Graded stakes winners Cellist and Verstappen have both finished second to Wolfie’s Dynaghost in stakes at Turfway. Atone won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in 2023, but is winless since.

Latonia Stakes

One race prior, Botanical seeks to give trainer Brad Cox a second Latonia win in a row. In 2023, Idiomatic scored the first of six stakes wins in a campaign that earned a championship. On that same card, Botanical won the Bourbonette Oaks to go with her Cincinnati Trophy victory. She subsequently finished 13th in the Kentucky Oaks in her dirt debut.

Botanical returned to the races with a 1 3/4-length score in an allowance/optional-claiming race on Jan. 25, remaining unbeaten in five starts at Turfway. She is the heavy favorite as she returns to stakes company in the Latonia.

Chop Chop, also trained by Cox, finished second to Botanical in that allowance, then bounced back to win the Wintergreen Stakes locally. If the free-running Botanical gets company on the front end from the likes of Marksman Queen or Sister Lou Ann – who is cutting back to a preferred distance – Chop Chop could pick up the pieces.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.