World of Trouble heads Servis group pointing for Claiming Crown

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Horses who run a 118 Beyer Speed Figure rarely get beat, as World of Trouble did when finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. And horses who run second in the Breeders’ Cup have never come back to participate in the Claiming Crown, as World of Trouble will a week from Saturday, opening day of the Gulfstream Park 2018-19 Championship meeting.

Trainer Jason Servis said Monday he is targeting the Claiming Crown Canterbury at five furlongs on the turf with both World of Trouble and Dowse’s Beach, who is no slouch himself, being Grade 2 placed and an easy winner of all three starts since he was claimed for $40,000 this past summer at Saratoga.

World of Trouble was back on the work tab for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup on Sunday at Palm Meadows, where he went three furlongs in 39.22 over the main track.

“It was really just an open gallop and then he picked it up the last three-eighths,” Servis said from Palm Meadows on Monday. “Knock on wood, he’s doing real well since the Breeders’ Cup.

World of Trouble is owned by a group that includes Michael Dubb.

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“Michael said he wanted to run him in the Claiming Crown, so that’s what we’re going to do,” said Servis. “I got to hand it to him, he stepped up and spent some money for this horse after he broke his maiden, and so far it’s worked out pretty well.”

World of Trouble debuted at Gulfstream Park under a $25,000 price tag for trainer Kathleen O’Connell in August of 2017 and won off by 14 lengths. Dubb purchased the son of Kantharos shortly thereafter and left him with O’Connell, and he finished second in the Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes series before transferring to Servis for his 3-year-old campaign. After a brief appearance on the Kentucky Derby trail, which ended with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, World of Trouble returned to sprinting, eventually switching to the grass to win a pair of stakes in New York prior to his near miss in the Breeders’ Cup.

“Obviously it was frustrating getting beat like that in the Turf Sprint, especially on the heels of Uncle Benny narrowly getting beaten the day before in the Juvenile Turf,” said Servis. “But on the other hand, he got beat by the defending champion. The two of them drew off on the rest of the field, so even though he was defeated, I was happy he ran so great. Obviously he’s excelled on a softer course thus far, so my one concern is that firm turf doesn’t throw him off.”

Servis will be well represented in the Claiming Crown. Along with World of Trouble and Dowse’s Beach, he plans to start Montclair, who is on a four-race win streak, in the 1 1/16-mile Emerald, and defending winner Blue Bahia in the Distaff Turf Dash.

Uncle Benny was also on the work tab at Palm Meadows on Sunday, breezing an easy three-eighths in 39.98. Uncle Benny fell a half-length shy of upsetting the Juvenile Turf following an eventful trip under Irad Ortiz Jr.

“He really got checked hard on the turn according to Irad and the chart footnote, but I guess that’s where the cameras change over and the stewards couldn’t see it well enough to disqualify the winner,” said Servis. “That’s not sour grapes on my part. As far as I’m concerned, he ran great and he got beat.”

Servis said it could be back to the dirt for Uncle Benny to open his 3-year-old campaign this winter at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Uncle Benny might run in the Mucho Macho Man in early January, Servis said.

“He broke his maiden on the dirt and he’s got a lot of dirt in his family, so I told the owner if you want to think about maybe getting him to the Derby, we’ll try him on the dirt again,” Servis said.

Servis, who has 40 horses at Palm Meadows with several more still to ship down from New York, also reported that Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire had just left his barn in South Florida for Ocala, Fla., where he’ll get some R & R. Firenze Fire finished a tiring fourth after pressing the early pace in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and Servis said the colt would be pointed for the Belmont spring-summer meet.

◗ Leading rider Edgard Zayas had quite a day at Gulfstream Park West on Saturday, winning four races, all during the middle portion of the 11-race card. The following afternoon, Paco Lopez did him one better, winning five of the 10 races on Sunday’s program. Lopez also had won five races, all stakes, on the Sunshine Millions Preview program eight days earlier.

◗ Zayas will enter the final four days of the Gulfstream Park West session, beginning Thursday, with a four win lead, 45-41, over Lopez for the riding title.