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Familiar Foes Completed Pass, Hollis Clash Again In Jim McKay Turf Sprint

Robert D. Bone's Completed Pass is a neck away from being a two-time champion of the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint.

Saturday on the Preakness day card at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., the 7-year-old gelding will attempt to get back to the winner's circle in the five-furlong race when he starts in it for the third time. Named for the late Hall of Fame sportscaster Jim McKay, the Turf Sprint is for 3-year-olds and up.

After winning the Jim McKay by a length in 2019, Completed Pass lost the 2020 version by a neck to Hollis, who is also entered this year.

Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Maryland's leading trainer for the past four years, Completed Pass is an Indiana-bred son of Pass Rush that has won two of three career starts at Pimlico, Overall, he has four wins, three seconds and two thirds in 12 career starts on grass.

In his only start this year, Completed Pass won the King Leatherbury – a race named for Maryland's legendary and still active Hall of Fame horseman – on April 24th. He was ridden in that race by Angel Cruz, who will be on board Completed Pass for the fifth straight time on Saturday.

“He came back and ran a really nice race the last time,” Gonzalez said. “He proved he still can compete with the top ones.”

Completed Pass definitely has the home course advantage with his two wins in three starts on the grass at Pimlico.

“I do believe it is an advantage because he knows the course and he likes the track,” Gonzalez said. “He proved he loves it.”

The biggest obstacle facing Completed Pass could be the post. He will start from the far outside 13 post position.

Boldor, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, has a win and a second in three career starts on grass. In his last start, on turf course labeled good April 155 at Keeneland, Boldor finished second in a 5-½ furlong allowance race.

A 5-year-old son of Munnings, Boldor has done most of his running on dirt. In 13 starts on dirt, he has four wins, two seconds and a third. Six of his starts have been on off tracks where he has two wins and two seconds.

“He tries hard every time,” Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi said. “Hopefully, he gets a good trip.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Boldor from Post 1. He is the fourth different rider the gelding will have this year.

Also entered for the Jim McKay are 8-year-old Dubini, based at Parx Racing with six wins in 24 starts on the grass; Ron Moquett-trained Firecrow, who has shown speed on the dirt but is winless in two starts on grass; first-time turf starter Grab the Gold, another that has shown speed on the dirt; Hollis, who gets the services of three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.; Laurel Park based 7-year-old Jammer, a winner of five of 22 career starts on grass; 7-year-old Love You Much, winless in his last seven starts over two years; Push To Start, making his grass debut after two wins and three thirds on dirt; Robey's Boy, fifth in the King Leatherbury in his second start of 2021; So Street, a non-factor when finishing eighth in the King Leatherbury; The Connector, winner of four of nine turf tries; and The Critical Way, a winner of three of nine starts at the Jim McKay distance.

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Corelli Flies Late in Henry S. Clark; Xanthique, Completed Pass Victorious

Augustin Stable's Grade 1-placed Corelli, cutting back to the shortest distance of his North American career in his first race since mid-October, came flying down the center of the track to catch Grade 2-winning favorite Pixelate approaching the wire and get his nose down at the wire of Saturday's $100,000 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 21^st running of the Clark for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles was the second of three turf stakes on an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. Headlining the card were the $125,000 Federico Tesio, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15, and the $125,000 Weber City Miss, a 'Win and In' event for 3-year-old fillies to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14.

The $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and up, also at 1 1/16 miles, kicked off both the stakes action as well as the 2021 turf season in Maryland. The $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs on the grass closed the card.

Ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer Jonathan Thomas, Corelli ($12) hadn't raced since finishing seventh in a 1 1/8-mile allowance Oct. 17 at Keeneland. Prior to that he was fifth in the 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer (G1), third in the United Nations (G1) and fourth in the Tiller – the latter two at 1 3/8 miles – after arriving in the U.S. from England.

“I thought this year we'd just kind of reinvent him and let him fall off the pace and hope for a little bit of a stronger run race so he could finish up,” Thomas said. “I put blinkers on him last year and probably ran him too long, and he was just kind of idling at the end.

“We just thought we'd try something different. Honestly I thought he was going to come late and we were going to have to stretch him off of this, but he showed us a different dimension,” he added. “Really proud of how he ran.”

Ballagh Rocks was eager for the lead, breaking from outside all but one rival in the nine-horse field, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.73 seconds. Papal Law, sent off at 50-1, pressed the early pace before taking over after a half in 47.76, with 9-5 favorite Pixelate in fourth after moving off the rail for a clear run midway down the backstretch.

Pixelate forged a short lead once straightened for home but Corelli came with a steady run on the far outside after being set down for a drive by jockey Victor Carrasco. The two leaders matched strides inside the sixteenth pole before Corelli surged late, with Dreams of Tomorrow making a bold move to get up for third, 1 ¼ lengths back.

Unraced at 2, Corelli spent 2018 and 2019 racing in England for trainer John Gosden, winning once in six starts – none of them shorter than 1 ½ miles – and finishing second three times by a total of three-quarters of a length. Augustin's George Strawbridge moved the colt to Thomas last year.

“He was trained by arguably the greatest trainer on the planet so we just took over a really sound, nice horse,” Thomas said. “Really the credit goes to Mr. Strawbridge. Sharing a horse like this with us is a great credit and we're very fortunate to have him. I'm glad he got rewarded today.”

Xanthique Breaks Through with Stakes Win in $100,000 Dahlia
Thwarted by traffic and unlucky trips in her previous stakes attempts, VinLaur Racing Stables' Xanthique got an ideal ride from jockey Feargal Lynch and nabbed Grade 3-placed favorite Crystal Cliffs on the wire for a nose victory in Saturday's $100,000 Dahlia.

Shipped to Pimlico by Belmont Park-based trainer Tom Morley, on hand for the race, Xanthique ($14.20) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.92 over a firm course in a thrilling opener to the 2021 turf season in Maryland.

“There was no unlucky in that trip,” Morley said. “It was as good a ride as you'll see around there. It was phenomenal.”

Making her sixth consecutive stakes start, Xanthique settled in mid-pack as 104-1 long shot Elegant de Domino outran Lagom for the early lead and they dueled through splits of 23.25 and 47.57 seconds with Vigilantes Way in the clear three wide in third and Crystal Cliffs saving ground inside in fourth.

Sheldon Russell and Crystal Cliffs was able to find a seam to take over the top spot at the top of the lane and Lynch followed on Xanthique, using the length of the stretch to wear down the favorite, racing for the first time since being beaten a head in the Regret (G3) last June. It was 2 ¼ lengths back to Vigilantes Way in third.

“She's a nice filly. Tom's done a great job. I followed Sheldon the whole way. She was the horse to beat. He got through and I followed him through and kept it simple,” Lynch said. “The turf course is beautiful. The guys have done a great job. The ground staff, they're working hard here and Laurel and doing everything they can.”

Xanthique, by Into Mischief, now owns five wins from 18 career starts and nearly $300,000 in purse earnings. Her best stakes previous stakes finishes were fourths in the Marie Krantz Memorial Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds and One Dreamer last September at Kentucky Downs.

“We were a little concerned there might be a lack of pace in the race, but we were delighted to see those two fillies go on in front of us. Feargal just stalked the favorite the whole way around there and turning in made a brave run up the rail but she's as game as a tiger, this horse. I never had any doubt that she put her head in the hole,” Morley said. “Huge credit to my team at Belmont. She's been a real project filly, so to claim her three years ago and now turn her into a stakes winner is very special indeed.”

Completed Pass Wins $100,000 King T. Leatherbury
Robert Bone's Completed Pass made his 7-year-old debut a memorable one when he gamely held off the 7-5 favorite and pacesetter Francatelli down the stretch to win the King T. Leatherbury, covering a firm five-furlong turf course in :56.52.

Saddled by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez and ridden by Angel Cruz, Completed Pass, second in the Leatherbury in 2019 and a winner of the Laurel Dash last year, has won nine of 21 starts and more than $400,000. Cruz rated Completed Pass behind a :22.09 opening quarter set by Francatelli before drawing alongside him around the turn and putting a head in front entering the stretch. Despite a game performance by Francatelli, Completed Pass was never headed again.

For Cruz, the victory was a bit of redemption after being disqualified from first to second in the Tesio aboard Excellorator for bothering The Reds.

“I was a little upset because I didn't think I bothered him enough, but the stewards so I did,” Cruz said. “So to come back and win this stake makes me feel better, makes me happy.”

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Completed Pass Seeking Jim McKay Turf Sprint Repeat

More than a year since becoming a stakes winner last spring over the same track, Robert D. Bone's Completed Pass returns to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., with sights set on a repeat victory in the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Thursday, Oct. 1.

The 15th running of the McKay for 3-year-olds and up and the 21st renewal of the $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares 3 and older, both sprinting five furlongs on turf, join the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) in opening a spectacular Preakness weekend of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses featuring the 145^th Preakness (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3.

Post time for the first of 10 races Thursday is 12:40 p.m.

Completed Pass joined trainer Claudio Gonzalez's string for the 2019 season and promptly won three of his first four starts for the new connections including a one-length victory as the favorite in last year's McKay over Tempt Me Twice, who also returns Thursday.

Gonzalez is confident that familiarity with the track as one of just three horses in the field of 10 to have run at Pimlico, along with Tempt Me Twice and 2019 allowance winner Love You Much, will serve to benefit Completed Pass.

“It helps that he raced there last year because he knows the track already and especially good because he won,” Gonzalez said. “It would be really nice if he could win it again. He's doing really good. I believe he's doing the best he ever has.”

Completed Pass enters the McKay off an effort in the 5 1/2-furlong Laurel Dash Sept. 7 where he clipped heels at the five-sixteenths pole and nearly went down but recovered quickly and went on to a three-quarter-length win under Angel Cruz, who returns to ride from Post 6.

“Last time was a big race because when stumbled I was like, 'Yikes,'” Gonzalez said. “In that one second, you think of a lot but to come back and win the race was amazing. Not just any horse can do that. They need to have a big heart.”

Lynch Racing's Francatelli has put together three straight front-running victories including an Aug. 15 off-the-turf allowance at Laurel and the five-furlong King Corrie Stakes Sept. 12 on the Woodbine turf. Based at Laurel, the 3-year-old City Zip gelding went unraced at 2 and debuted running second June 5 over his home course.

Joe Bravo has the call on Francatelli from outside Post 10.

Altamira Racing Stable, Rafter JR Ranch, STD Racing Stable and A. Miller's well-traveled Texas Wedge, winner of the Joe Hernandez (G2) at Santa Anita and World of Trouble Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park in January, has since run third in the Jaipur (G1) at Belmont Park and 10^th last out in the Shakertown (G2) July 11 at Keeneland. Paco Lopez rides for trainer Peter Miller.

Texas Wedge will carry topweight of 125 pounds including jockey Paco Lopez from Post 2.

Michael Hui, Hooties Racing and WSS Racing's 7-year-old gelding Tiger Blood, trained by Mike Maker, owns 19 wins from 49 lifetime starts and goes after his third career stakes victory and first since April 2017 in the McKay. In his last race, he was beaten only four lengths when ninth in the Turf Sprint (G3) Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs.

Trevor McCarthy rides Tiger Blood from Post 8.

Love You Much, third in the Laurel Dash, Axtell, Dr. Feelgood, Fair Catch and Hollis complete the field.

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