Wolfie's Dynaghost will come out running in Bert Allen
?q=100)
If Wolfie’s Dynaghost has his way in the $100,000 Bert Allen Handicap at Colonial Downs on Saturday, the heavily favored 7-year-old might not trail a step.
“That seems to be the way he likes to run,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said of a potential front-running trip. “We’re not going to take that away from him.”
In 2022, when he was still trained by Tom Albertrani, Wolfie’s Dynaghost made his first trip to Virginia and easily won that year’s state-restricted Bert Allen by three lengths. He entered Thomas’s barn soon after and has since won four stakes races. At even money on Saturday’s morning line, he is firmly expected to secure his second win at Colonial.
After a successful 2023 campaign that included a victory in the Grade 2 Autumn at Woodbine, the gelding only ran once in 2024 before a layoff of nearly 15 months. He returned in June, and in his second start back, he set a course record at Laurel Park when he kicked away on the front end to win the $125,000 Prince George’s County by 4 1/2 lengths.
Following a runner-up finish in a 1 3/16-mile allowance at Saratoga last month, Wolfie’s Dynaghost will cut back to 1 1/16 miles on Saturday.
“We were tinkering with the idea of him stretching out and just seeing if that’s something he would do,” Thomas said. “Although he ran very well, it seems like he’s a mile and a sixteenth horse with the ability to get a little farther.”
Trainer Jack Fisher said Wednesday that Mission North, the 2-1 second choice, will not run.
Sky’s Not Falling, winner of last year’s Bert Allen, has not won since and will try to regain form in Virginia for trainer Mike Trombetta.
Nellie Mae Cox Handicap
Public Defender, a 4-year-old filly trained by Jane Cibelli, will continue her march toward open stakes competition in the $100,000 Nellie Mae Cox Handicap. She will take on a state-restricted field while riding a three-race win streak, including two allowance victories at Colonial this summer by 7 3/4 combined lengths.
“She’s run well and she likes Colonial,” Cibelli said. “Ben Curtis rides her perfectly, and she’s not easy to ride. She has quirky things, but Ben’s got such great hands. If she tries to get out a little, he can coax her back over. It’s a good combination.”
Cibelli has watched how the filly’s maturation in the morning has translated to progressively better performances this year. After winning a restricted allowance by three lengths off a six-month layoff in July, she stepped into open company in August and kicked away to win by five lengths, earning a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
The Nellie Mae Cox will be her third straight start at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Colonial with Curtis aboard. If she passes this test, Cibelli hopes to begin considering open stakes opportunities.
Winfinity, a 3-year-old filly trained by John Ortiz, could take a step forward in her second start against older fillies and mares. Last month, she switched to turf at Colonial and finished second by a neck in the $125,000 All Brandy.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.