World of Trouble rolls on lead in Twin Spires Turf Sprint
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A World of Trouble? Not so much.
The versatile Grade 1 winner World of Trouble, sent away as a heavy favorite, had things all his own way while rolling to a 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on Friday at Churchill Downs.
World of Trouble's cause was helped when the Twin Spires scratched down to a starting field of seven, with Bound for Nowhere, expected to be another pace factor, among the defections. World of Trouble ($2.60) bobbled slightly at the start under Manny Franco but quickly hustled out to the lead, with Angaston on his hip through an opening quarter of 23.07 seconds. World of Trouble shook his pursuer off to open up a length lead midway through the race and hit the half-mile in 45.69 seconds. The outcome was never seriously in doubt from there, as he extended his lead to the final margin.
"He's such a classy horse," Franco said.
The colt finished the 5 1/2 furlongs on a drying-out course officially rated firm in 1:03.97.
It was contentious for the placings behind World of Trouble as Smart Remark rallied to be second by a neck over another late closer in Chaos Theory, who had been last early. It was another head back to the veteran Group 1 winner Undrafted in fourth. They were followed by the fading Angaston, 2018 Twin Spires winner Will Call, and Jazzy Times in last.
World of Trouble, a 4-year-old Kantharos colt who races for Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables, is trained by Jason Servis. He was minor stakes-placed against his fellow Florida-breds as a juvenile and briefly flirted with the Kentucky Derby trail early last year, winning the Pasco Stakes by 13 3/4 lengths and then finishing third in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. Later that summer, he cut back to sprints and switched to turf, first winning the Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga and then rolling in the Allied Forces Stakes at Belmont.
Off those performances, he was sent away as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint last November at Churchill Downs, and ran a monster race to finish second by a neck to Eclipse Award champion Stormy Liberal, earning an eye-popping Beyer Speed Figure of 118.
World of Trouble hasn't been beaten since, but made his three starts following the Breeders' Cup on dirt, first demolishing statebreds in a restricted stakes at Tampa, then winning an off-the-turf edition of the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in January. Last month, he became a Grade 1 winner when taking the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.
After his latest win, World of Trouble appears to have a world of options, with Servis naming Grade 1 events on the turf and dirt in New York as potential targets.
"He's a runner, man," Servis said. "I've got a mare I can't wait to breed to him. Turf, dirt, mud, everything, it doesn't matter to him. Next? Maybe the Jaipur, or maybe the Vanderbilt."
