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Derby Aftermath: Tagg Mum On Potential Preakness Run By Tiz The Law

Followup from the connections of Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby starters is provided by the Churchill Downs media office:

TIZ THE LAW – Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law is scheduled to return to New York on Tuesday following his runner-up effort in Saturday's Kentucky Derby with plans for a next start to be determined.

“I just looked him over,” trainer Barclay Tagg said before heading to Lexington to begin the search for the next Tiz the Law at this week's yearling sale. “His legs are good. He ate good. Everything's good.”

The four-time Grade 1 winner, who went off as the 7-10 favorite Saturday, sustained only the second loss in his eight-race career with both setbacks coming at Churchill Downs. He was third in last November's Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) on a sealed sloppy track.

In the Derby, Tiz the Law drew up alongside Authentic at the top of the stretch but never passed the eventual winner.

“The jock (Manny Franco) said that when he really had to get down and run, he was kind of swimming on that track. He didn't like the track,” Tagg said. “You could see it in the stretch. He looked like he was going to go on by and win easy. His last (Beyer) number was a 109 (in the Travers). He bounced down to a 103 this time.

“The jock told me that and when I watch the replay you could see he just wasn't getting a hold of it nicely. If you want to make an excuse, that is probably an excuse. He's come out of well. He ate up his dinner last night. He'll go back to New York Tuesday. I don't want to say too much about the Preakness. I just want to see how he is. He'll go back to New York and we'll evaluate him.”

MR. BIG NEWS – Allied Racing's Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News was “all good” Sunday morning, according to trainer Bret Calhoun.

“He gave us a big thrill,” Calhoun said. “It was an awesome race and we are so proud of this colt.”

Next race plans are yet to be determined.

HONOR A. P. – C R K Stable's Honor A. P. was “doing good” Sunday morning, one day after rallying late for fourth as the 7-1 second choice. The Honor Code colt had a poor start and was last after the first six furlongs. Trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Mike Smith had said Saturday after the race that he was floundering on the track early.

cWhen asked what might be next for Honor A.P., Shirreffs said: “I haven't even thought about that. He'll head back to California Monday and we'll see.”

MAX PLAYER – George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.'s Max Player was doing well Sunday morning, but his connections were obviously disappointed after his inside post position compromised his chances Saturday.

“He didn't jump away from the gate as well as I had hoped and jumped up and down in the dirt early first time by, but continued running late,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “I think there's more there, and circumstances need to be created to get it.”

As for the Preakness, Asmussen said “I have not spoken with Mr. Hall to see what his plans are. I definitely think that would be me getting ahead of myself.”

STORM THE COURT – Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Susanna Wilson and Dan Hudock's Storm the Court is scheduled to return to his Southern California base on an early Monday morning flight according to trainer Peter Eurton.

Eurton, who was traveling back to Southern California early Sunday morning, said Storm the Court appeared to come out of his sixth-place Derby finish fine and there were no immediate plans for Storm the Court's next race.

ENFORCEABLE – Assistant trainer David Carroll reported all was good with John Oxley's Enforceable the morning after the colt finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby.

The son of Tapit was closer to the pace than usual, rating fifth through the opening half mile, before weakening in the lane.

“His legs are cold and tight, he cleaned up his feed,” said Carroll, assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. “We're very happy with him. We'll live to fight another day. He broke sharp, and (jockey) Adam (Beschizza) never hustled him, he got a clean trip around there. He got us to the big dance and we're proud of him and most of all he came back safe.”

NY TRAFFIC – John Fanelli, Cash is King, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic lost a shoe in the running of the Kentucky Derby and was a little banged up, but was no worse for the wear Sunday morning, according to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. No definite plans have been made for his next start.

“He came out well soundness wise,” Joseph said via text. “He got a few cuts front and back. No race in mind at the moment. We'll see how he is in 7-10 days and then go from there.”

NECKER ISLAND – Raymond Daniels, Wayne Scheer and Will Harbut Racing's Necker Island walked the shedrow at trainer Chris Hartman's barn Sunday morning following his ninth-place Derby finish.

“He came back in good shape,” Hartman said. “I'll wait three or four days before we start mapping out a race.”

MAJOR FED – Lloyd Madison Farm's Major Fed cooled out well following Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

“He has a couple of little nicks on him but he's doing well,” said trainer Greg Foley, who stood alongside the homebred colt while he grazed. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“He had no business being up there where he was,” Foley said of Major Fed breaking sharply from the gate. “Bumper cars going into that first turn. I mean, he was a length off the lead. I don't know if he was too fresh and broke like that and was down in there. That was the end of our chances. Everything had to go good for us. It didn't. He came back good. He looks fine. He ate up. We'll regroup in a little bit. He's eligible for a 'one other than' (first-level allowance). That's about where he'll show up next. Go from there. He'll look pretty good in that.”

SOLE VOLANTE – Reeves Thoroughbreds and Andie Biancone's Sole Volante was heading back to his South Florida base after finishing 11th in the Kentucky Derby.

“He's fine, he's good,” said Andie Biancone, who is also assistant to her father Patrick Biacone and the regular exercise rider for the gelding. “He obviously took a lot of dirt in his face, but he scoped clean. We're happy and proud of him. He'll probably get a break now and maybe go back to the turf.”

WINNING IMPRESSION – Trainer Dallas Stewart reported Winning Impression came out of the Kentucky Derby in good shape Sunday morning.

MONEY MOVES – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who was overseeing the care of Money Moves on behalf of his former protégé Todd Pletcher, said the colt emerged from his 13th-place finish in good order and was slated to ship back to New York on Tuesday.

ATTACHMENT RATE –Trainer Dale Romans reported via text everything was well Sunday morning with Attachment Rate.

SOUTH BEND – South Bend was reported to be unaffected by wear after finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby. The Bill Mott-trained colt was attempting to give his conditioner back-to-back victories in the classic after Country House was elevated to the win last year via disqualification.

“He was fine. He made a bit of a middle move around the turn and into the head of the stretch but it just wasn't his day,” assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy said.

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Baffert: ‘The Most Crazy 30 Minutes I’ve Had In Racing’

It wasn't the usual morning-after scene around Barn 33 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Sunday as only a smattering of media and cameras were on hand waiting for the shedrow's Hall of Fame trainer to lead out his latest Kentucky Derby hero. But after months of having one contender after another go by the wayside in the lead up the 146th edition of the “Run for the Roses”, Bob Baffert was never more thankful or grateful to show off a newly minted classic winner for the few who had gathered.

Baffert has brought many an elite horse out on the Churchill Downs backside the day after the Kentucky Derby but the look of admiration he cast in the direction of Authentic less than 24 hours after the colt's triumph in the 10-furlong test was one that spoke volumes about the journey to that point. The bay son of Into Mischief “wasn't even tired” according to his trainer after leading every point of call to defeat heavily favored Tiz the Law and 13 others en route to giving Baffert his record-tying sixth Kentucky Derby triumph.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing, Authentic capped off a wild 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby for Baffert that saw the trainer lose highly regarded Nadal and Charlatan to injury earlier in the year. The drama didn't stop for Baffert even when he made it to the paddock for the race Saturday as his other Derby entrant this season, graded stakes winner Thousand Words, was a late scratch after rearing and flipping in the paddock — an incident that resulted in assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes suffering a broken wrist that will require surgery.

Even without 160,000 in the stands to watch as this year's Kentucky Derby was held without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic, Authentic managed to give his team a moment for the ages as he hit the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front.

“I couldn't believe it, I thought he might be a little tired today,” Baffert said of Authentic. “He came out of it well. Jimmy is going to need surgery, I think he'll need eight screws in his wrist but he actually was here this morning. He's a trooper. I was so emotional yesterday because I wanted (Barnes) to be there. To me, that was most emotional Derby I've ever been involved in because of what happened during that little time frame. It was the most crazy 30 minutes I've had in racing.

“Before May, I was looking so strong and then everything just went wrong,” Baffert continued. “And to pull it off like that was really exciting. Winning the Kentucky Derby is the biggest moment in a trainer's life. When you win it, it erases everything that has gone bad.”

With the Derby victory, Authentic not only answered the question of whether an offspring of Into Mischief could get 10 furlongs successfully, but he moved himself to the forefront of the sophomore male ranks having previously annexed the Haskell Stakes (G1), Sham Stakes (G3) and San Felipe Stakes (G2) this year. His only loss in six career starts came when he ran second to Honor A. P. in the June 6 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and he also gives B. Wayne Hughes' powerhouse Spendthrift Farm operation its first Derby triumph.

“It was all so unbelievable. I walked over with the Albaughs (co-owners of Thousand Words) and we're all enjoying the moment and then…the next thing you know (Thousand Words) exploded and went over,” said Mark Toothaker, stallion sales manager of Spendthrift Farm, which also co-owns Thousand Words. “The state vet walked over and said he was a scratch. So you had all the emotion of you are within 20 minutes of having a horse getting ready to run in the Kentucky Derby that we picked out and we're so excited and as we were walking through the tunnel, I said to our general manager Ned Toffey 'If there is a Derby God out there….maybe we can win.' For Authentic to just keep giving it in the stretch, it was like he had an extra push.”

A trip to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes (GI) on Oct. 3 is slated as the next objective for both Authentic and Thousand Words, as the latter escaped his paddock fall without injury. Baffert said both colts will head over the shedrow of Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas to stay for the next few weeks as the legendary conditioner has offered to help oversee the duo so that Baffert doesn't have to ship them back to California in the interim.

“Being that the Preakness is a few weeks away, I thought it might be too hard on them to go back. So I have an assistant trainer, this D. Wayne Lukas guy here,” Baffert joked. “So they're going to be in Wayne's barn. We're going to run them out of here. If they're working well and all going well, they'll go to the Preakness. I didn't want to take them all the way to California and back. I want to give them every opportunity.

“We're planning on both if they're doing well. Thousand Woods we'll give him another chance at it. He didn't have a scratch on him.”

Even though he was flying back to California Sunday morning to spend part of his birthday, Jimmy Barnes was back to work dark and early Sunday morning, albeit in a compromised capacity. Barnes said he wasn't going to say anything about his broken right wrist — and he's right-handed — but he rolled up his sleeve and saw it at the wrong angle. He said he watched the Derby on a phone in the ambulance on his way to Norton Audubon Hospital. He said the ER personnel knew he was connected to the Derby winner, and that the ER doctor actually was a co-breeder of Baffert's two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute.

“I didn't have to go (to the hospital). I could have watched it on a TV,” Barnes said. “I said, 'Just get me over there and I can watch it on my phone.' Heck, what was I going to do, run out to the winner's circle and everything? My hand was pointing this way.”

Asked if the hospital staff was aware Barnes was connected to the Derby winner, he said: “Oh yeah, my doctor bred Midnight Lute, he was a partner on Midnight Lute's breeding and a horse we had called Socialbug

“We won. What a great race. I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I was watching it on a phone. I would have wanted to stay, but I wanted to get out of there also. I didn't want to prolong the situation. I knew what I was in for. I was probably going to be at the ER, I thought I'd be there a lot longer than I actually was. They put me out, reset it, wrapped it up, so I had to wait, because they won't just release you once they do that. If it would have been my first Derby, they all mean a lot to me, but there were people there representing. I said, 'They got it covered.'”

Barnes' first Derby with Baffert was in 1999 with General Challenge and his first Derby winner with Baffert was War Emblem in 2002.

“That being said, I really wanted to stay, because it is an emotional thing,” Barnes said. “It was important to me to get started on this immediately so I could get back to the barn. That's what was going through my head. When it happened, I wasn't going to say anything. I was going to say I was OK. I knew it kind of hurt. Then I pulled my sleeve up and saw it was pointing a different direction. So I pulled it back down and said, 'I better say something.' ”

“Then (Baffert) got knocked around and the owner got stepped on (in the winner's circle).”

Was Barnes surprised by Authentic's performance?

“Well, he didn't surprise me, the way he trains and the way you watch him move. He's just this big leaper. He's got a huge stride on him,” Barnes said. “He just got out there motoring along. Johnny V rode him superbly. He committed early and if you're going to go with him you're going to be running fast. So they kind of backed off a bit, from what I saw. When they turned for home, he was headed. That horse was there. For him to straighten out and switch leads, because you look at his earlier races and he was very erratic in the stretch in numerous races. Even Mike (Smith) had some issues in New Jersey (winning the Haskell), and Drayden (Van Dyke) had some issues. But Johnny V, when he pulled his stick through to the left hand and got after him, boy, he just leveled out and said, 'They're not going by me today.' ”

“You can be on the floor and then be up in the sky soaring,” Barnes said of the highs and lows racing can bring.

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Derby Wrap: Authentic ‘Not Even Tired’, On to Preakness

A day after picking up his record-tying sixth GI Kentucky Derby win in a renewal as unorthodox as they come, trainer Bob Baffert said victor Authentic (Into Mischief) “wasn’t even tired” Sunday morning after going wire to wire and turning back odds-on Tiz the Law (Constitution) in Saturday’s Run for the Roses.

“I couldn’t believe it, I thought he might be a little tired today,” Baffert said. “He came out of it well.”

The triumph for Baffert was plenty unorthodox as well. After appearing to have a strangehold on the Derby in the spring, Baffert lost top contenders Charlatan (Speightstown) and Nadal (Blame) to injury. Late bloomer Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo) then finished up the track in the GI Runhappy Travers S., eliminating him from Derby contention. Finally, in the Churchill Downs paddock Saturday, his Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) flipped and had to be scratched, leaving Authentic as his lone starter. The incident sent longtime Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes to the hospital with a broken wrist, adding one final touch of emotion to Authentic’s win.

“Jimmy is going to need surgery, I think he’ll need eight screws in his wrist but he actually was here this morning. He’s a trooper,” Baffert said. “I was so emotional yesterday because I wanted him to be there. To me, that was most emotional Derby I’ve ever been involved in because of what happened during that little time frame. It was the most crazy 30 minutes I’ve had in racing.”

“Before May, I was looking so strong and then everything just went wrong,” Baffert continued. “And to pull it off like that was really exciting. Winning the Kentucky Derby is the biggest moment in a trainer’s life. When you win it, it erases everything that has gone bad.”

Roller Coaster Half-Hour for Spendthrift

The late scratch of Thousand Words also affected Spendthrift Farm, which co-owns the colt with Albaugh Family Stables and co-owns Authentic with My Racehorse, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing.

“It was all so unbelievable. I walked over with the Albaughs and we’re all enjoying the moment and then, the next thing you know [Thousand Words] exploded and went over,” said Mark Toothaker, stallion sales manager of Spendthrift Farm. “The state vet walked over and said he was a scratch. So you had all the emotion of, you are within 20 minutes of having a horse getting ready to run in the Kentucky Derby that we picked out and we’re so excited and as we were walking through the tunnel, I said to our general manger Ned Toffey, ‘If there is a Derby God out there, maybe we can win.’ For Authentic to just keep giving it in the stretch, it was like he had an extra push.”

A trip to Baltimore for the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3 is slated as the next objective for both Authentic and Thousand Words, as the latter escaped his paddock fall without injury. Baffert said both colts will head to the shedrow of Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas to stay for the next few weeks so Baffert doesn’t have to ship them back to California in the interim.

“Being that the Preakness is a few weeks away, I thought it might be too hard on them to go back. So I have an assistant trainer, this D. Wayne Lukas guy here,” Baffert joked. “So they’re going to be in Wayne’s barn. We’re going to run them out of here. If they’re working well and all going well, they’ll go to the Preakness. I didn’t want to take them all the way to California and back. I want to give them every opportunity. We’re planning on [running] both if they’re doing well. Thousand Words, we’ll give him another chance at it. He didn’t have a scratch on him.”

Barnes Back in Action Sunday Morning

Barnes was back to work dark and early Sunday morning, albeit in a compromised capacity. He said he wasn’t going to say anything about his broken right wrist Saturday until he rolled up his sleeve and saw it at the wrong angle.

“When it happened, I wasn’t going to say anything. I was going to say I was OK. I knew it kind of hurt,” he said. “Then I pulled my sleeve up and saw it was pointing a different direction. So I pulled it back down and said, ‘I better say something.'”

Barnes watched the Derby on a phone in the ambulance on his way to Norton Audubon Hospital. He said the ER personnel knew he was connected to the Derby winner, and that the ER doctor actually was a co-breeder of Baffert’s two-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute (Real Quiet).

“He didn’t surprise me, the way he trains and the way you watch him move,” Barnes said of Authentic. “He’s just this big leaper. He’s got a huge stride on him. He just got out there motoring along. Johnny V rode him superbly. He committed early and if you’re going to go with him you’re going to be running fast. So they kind of backed off a bit, from what I saw. For him to straighten out and switch leads, because you look at his earlier races and he was very erratic in the stretch in numerous races. But Johnny V, when he pulled his stick through to the left hand and got after him, boy, he just leveled out and said, ‘They’re not going by me today.'”

Asked about the roller coaster of breaking his wrist in a scary paddock accident and then winning a Derby less than a half-hour later, Barnes said of horse racing, “You can be on the floor and then be up in the sky soaring.”

Tiz the Law in Good Shape, Next Start Undetermined

Sackatoga Stable’s beaten favorite Tiz the Law is scheduled to return to New York Tuesday with plans for a next start to be determined.

“I just looked him over,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “His legs are good. He ate good. Everything’s good.”

The four-time Grade I winner, who went off as the 7-10 chalk Saturday, sustained only the second loss in his eight-race career, with both setbacks coming at Churchill Downs. He was third in last November’s GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. on a sealed sloppy track.

“The jock [Manny Franco] said that when he really had to get down and run, he was kind of swimming on that track. He didn’t like the track,” Tagg said. “You could see it in the stretch. He looked like he was going to go on by and win easy. His last [Beyer] number was a 109 [in the GI Runhappy Travers S.]. He bounced down to a 103 this time … I don’t want to say too much about the Preakness. I just want to see how he is. He’ll go back to New York and we’ll evaluate him.”

“He ran good and came out of it great. I was over at the barn this morning and all is well,” principal owner Jack Knowlton added. “I’ll have [the Preakness] discussion with Barclay and we’ll take a little time to see. My thinking is that we will [go], but we’ll have the horse dictate what’s going to happen. Certainly that would be my preference but we’ve just go to see how he comes out and see how he works when we have the next work in a couple weeks. We’ll have time for a couple works.”

Other Preakness Hopefuls

According to the Pimlico notes team, longshot third finisher in the Derby Mr. Big News (Giant’s Causeway) is likely headed to Baltimore. The three horses who had to scratch the week of the Derby–Art Collector (Bernardini), King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) and Finnick the Fierce (Dialed In)–are also Preakness-bound.

Among other potential Preakness horses are Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and Dr Post (Quality Road), respectively first and fourth in Saturday’s GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga; Manitoba Derby winner Mongolian Wind (Mucho Macho Man), entered in Monday’s Gold Cup S. at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg; Lebda (Raison d’Etat), winner of the Miracle Wood S.and Private Terms S. at Laurel over the winter and most recently third in the Robert Hilton Memorial S. Aug. 28 at Charles Town; Pneumatic (Uncle Mo), last-out winner of the Pegasus S. Aug. 15 at Monmouth Park and fourth in the Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; and the Baffert-trained Azul Coast (Super Saver), winner of the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 15 at Golden Gate and second to Authentic in the GIII Sham S.

The Federico Tesio S. Monday at Laurel is a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Preakness. Happy Saver (Super Saver), undefeated in two career starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, is the 1-2 program favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Preakness prep.

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Late-Developing Happy Saver Hopes To Use Tesio As Springboard To Preakness Stakes

Wertheimer and Frere's undefeated Happy Saver, a late-developing son of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver, will take the next step in his progression when he faces stakes company for the first time in the $100,000 Federico Tesio Monday, Sept. 7 at Laurel Park.

The 39th running of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio for 3-year-olds serves as the highlight of five $100,000 stakes on a special 10-race Labor Day holiday program that caps Laurel's Preakness Prep Weekend. For the fifth straight year, the Tesio serves as a 'Win and In' event for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 145th Preakness (G1) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Also on the Labor Day card are the Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies, a 'Win and In' race for the 96th Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on the Preakness undercard; and a trio of scheduled turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up – the 1 1/16-mile All Along for fillies and mares and the 5 ½-furlong Laurel Dash and 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark.

First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

Trainer Todd Pletcher cross-entered Happy Saver in Saturday's Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga but said he favors sending the chestnut son of his first of two career Derby winners to the Tesio, a race the seven-time Eclipse Award champion won with Smoked Em in 2002.

“Our first preference is the Tesio, assuming that everything goes according to plan,” Pletcher said. “We were very pleased with his debut and impressed that he was able to stretch out in his second start to a mile and an eighth and win against older horses. We're very pleased with the progress he's made. We felt like the Tesio could potentially be a good segway toward the Preakness if he continues to develop.”

Unraced at 2, Happy Saver debuted in a seven-furlong maiden special weight June 20 at Belmont Park, pressing a quick pace before taking over entering the stretch and sprinting clear to win by 5 ½ lengths. He came back July 26 at Saratoga, settling in mid-pack until making a six-wide move in upper stretch and going on to a four-length triumph at the Tesio distance.

“He seems to be very talented,” Pletcher said. “He had enough natural speed to win going seven-eighths and then was able to kind of sit off the pace in his second start and finish up strongly at a mile and an eighth. He's already shown some versatility and professionalism in only a couple of starts.

“He's one that we've been impressed with his training,” he added. “We've been breezing him with some good horses and he's always held his own very well, so hopefully he continues to move in the right direction.”

Maryland's four-time leading rider Trevor McCarthy has the assignment on Happy Saver from Post 4 of seven.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Monday Morning Qb is entered to launch his comeback in the Tesio. Winner of the seven-furlong Heft Stakes last December in his only previous trip to Laurel, the Imagining colt has not raced since finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Withers (G3) Feb. 1 at Aqueduct.

Trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. said the connections decided to give Monday Morning Qb some time after the Withers, a break that was extended due to the months-long pause in live racing around the country amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“He really filled out nicely. He's always been a big horse. I'll be interested to see how much he weighs when we get down to Laurel, actually,” Reid said. “He really has filled out nicely and his joints have set up really well, just what we were hoping because he's such a big guy. He couldn't be training any better. We brought him back to the track off his breeze the other day and he's just full of himself and happy. We're excited with how he's doing right now.”

Reid entered Monday Morning Qb in a one-mile turf allowance for Maryland-bred/sired horses Aug. 28 at Laurel but he was unable to draw into the main body of the race and was scratched. He also missed the Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel three weeks before the Heft after developing a fever.

“We're asking a lot of him coming back going a mile and an eighth off a layoff, but we breezed him the other morning and he breezed sensational and galloped out good and strong and came back bouncing, so it looks like there's an opportunity to take a shot,” Reid said. “If he comes up a little short, he comes up a little short but it'll get him stretched out around two turns and that's what we're looking for with him.”

Monday Morning Qb is one of four Triple Crown-nominated horses in the Tesio, making the 'Win and In' incentive an added bonus. Victor Carrasco is named to ride from Post 6.

“There's still spots out there and that's why we're kind of pushing him to get this one under his belt and then look for something down the road. And I still think that he'll turf, too, at some point so I'd definitely like to jump over and try that eventually,” Reid said. “He's definitely handled the surface down there so that's at least part of the reason why we're coming.”

Also nominated to the Triple Crown is Don Fausto Racing's Mexican Wonder Boy. The Kentucky-bred Can the Man colt won the seven-furlong Clasico Anahuac (G1) and 1 1/16-mile Clasico Campeonato Juvenile (G2) during a 2019 campaign that saw him named Mexico's 2-year-old champion male.

Mexican Wonder Boy made his U.S. debut July 25 at Gulfstream Park, dismissing a challenge at the quarter pole and going on to a 1 ¼-length triumph in a one-mile optional claiming allowance. Most recently, he was fifth in a similar spot going 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 16 at Gulfstream.

“The horse has good potential,” Gutierrez said. “He won the race at Gulfstream and then we were looking for a mile and a sixteenth, mile and an eighth, and we decide to run him at 6 ½ furlongs. The horse had just a regular performance. It was a very, very hot day and it was not his best day. We think he has more potential and we were looking for options. I think the Federico Tesio is a good option for him.”

Gutierrez compared Mexican Wonder Boy to Letruska, a 4-year-old homebred filly he trained to a pair of Group 1 wins in Mexico in 2019, a victory over males in the Copa Invitacional del Caribe last December at Gulfstream and a win in the Shuvee (G3) last out Aug. 30 at Saratoga.

“He ran in Mexico three times going two turns and the horse ran very, very comfortable and won good. Of course, it's a different level,” Gutierrez said. “The same was true with Letruska. This is a horse that has very similar conditions because he won in good times, even some days to run a little bit faster than other horses the same day. Letruska is a big horse and a good one and he is a little bit smaller but he has quality. We have to take risk and we have to try, no? This is the point. We have to give it a try.”

Horacio Karamanos gets the call from Post 5 at co-topweight of 124 pounds.

Colts Neck Stables' Big City Bob won the one-mile Sapling last September at Monmouth Park in his third career start and first in a stakes but has gone winless since, including a fifth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 14 at Laurel in his 3-year-old debut. He ran sixth in the Pegasus, also at 1 1/16 miles, Aug. 15 at Monmouth in his last start.

Howling Pigeon Farms' Amen Corner returned to the winner's circle with a determined nose victory facing older horses in an open 1 1/8-mile allowance July 23 at Laurel. Trained by Laurel-based Jerry O'Dwyer, he joins Happy Saver as the only Tesio horses with a previous win at the distance. Earlier stakes attempts over the winter saw the Malibu Moon colt run fourth in Laurel's Miracle Wood and seventh in the Rushaway at Turfway Park.

The Elkstone Group's homebred Plot the Dots owns two wins and a second from four previous starts at Laurel for trainer Mike Trombetta. The bay son of champion Uncle Mo captured a one-mile waiver maiden claiming event Feb. 17 as well as a restricted 1 1/16-mile allowance over older horses June 26, the latter earning him a shot in stakes company, where he ran fourth in the July 26 Jersey Derby over the Monmouth turf. Plot the Dots was second as the favorite in a seven-furlong off-the-turf allowance Aug. 22 at Saratoga last out.

Completing the field is Randall Block and Six Column Stables' Letmeno, runner-up in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes last summer. In his most recent start, the Ian Wilkes trainee finished first by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Derby July 5 at Prairie Meadows but was disqualified to second for interference in the stretch.

The Tesio is named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose hombreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world. Tesio died in Italy in 1954 at age 85.

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