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Letruska Inherits Favoritism in Phipps

With champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff runner-up Valiance (Tapit) both late defections from Belmont's GI Ogden Phipps S. due to fevers, GI Apple Blossom H. heroine Letruska (Super Saver) will likely inherit favoritism in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff “Win and You're In” event. Closing out last term with a dominant score in the GIII Rampart S. at Gulfstream Dec. 12, the bay wired the GIII Houston Ladies Classic Jan. 31. She missed by a head to Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), who also lines up here, in Oaklawn's GII Azeri S. Mar. 13 and out-nosed the mighty Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) last time in Hot Springs, with Swiss Skydiver finishing third.

“She's doing very well since the Apple Blossom,” trainer Fausto Gutierrez said. “She's trained very well at Keeneland. The first question I had was if she could fit with those kind of mares and she showed in that race that she could. She ran like a champion.”

Shedaresthedevil blew up the tote in the GI Kentucky Oaks last September when besting Swiss Skydiver at odds of 15-1. Third next out behind fellow Ogden Phipps competitor Valiance in Keeneland's GI Juddmonte Spinster S. in October, the bay opened her 4-year-old account in the Azeri and followed suit with a one-length score in Churchill's GI La Troienne S. Apr. 30. That win which was further flattered when runner-up Envoutante (Uncle Mo) came back to capture the Shawnee S. beneath the Twin Spires May 29. Her trainer Brad Cox also saddles Juddmonte homebred Bonny South (Munnings), who enters off a victory in Keeneland's GIII Doubledogdare S. Apr. 16.

Rounding out the field are GII Ruffian S. runner-up Water White (Conveyance) and GIII Royal Delta S. victress Queen Nekia (Harlington).

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RRP to Host T.I.P. Barrel Racing Champs

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) will hold the inaugural T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships at the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium this October at the Kentucky Horse Park. The annual T.I.P. Championships features competition in disciplines including hunters, jumpers, English pleasure, Western pleasure, and classical and Western dressage. The 2021 T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships will feature prize money and additional prizes for the top horses.

“Thoroughbreds have made their presence known in recent years in Western disciplines, particularly barrel racing, so we are happy to be able to showcase yet another area in which these horses excel through the inaugural T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “Hosting this event in conjunction with the Thoroughbred Makeover will provide the deserved spotlight for these Thoroughbreds that are excelling in careers that may not be typically associated with the breed and will allow us to potentially grow the Championships in future years if there is enough interest from barrel racing participants.”

Click here for more information about the T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships.

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Oaks, Eight Belles Runners Converge in Acorn

Five of the six runners in Saturday's prestigious GI Acorn S. at Belmont were last seen competing on the GI Kentucky Oaks card Apr. 30 at Churchill, and now they'll all run together. Busher Invitational S. and GIII Gazelle S. heroine Search Results (Flatter) missed by just a neck last time in the Oaks after a hard-fought battle with unbeaten Malathaat (Curlin).

“It's five weeks and [after the Kentucky Oaks] I said I'm going to point to the race under no pressure to run and [owner Seth] Klarman was fine with whatever I wanted to do,” trainer Chad Brown said. “She's come back and worked really well. I've been doing this long enough to know that even if they work well, you're going to find out how they're really doing at the quarter-pole and how much the last race did or didn't affect them. I just can't pass on a race where she would be favorite in a Grade I and she's training this well. I am looking at the five weeks wishing I had a little more time for my own comfort, knowing what a hard stretch duel it was, but she's doing well.”

Also exiting the Oaks is 'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted). The GII Fair Grounds Oaks heroine could relish this one-turn mile configuration after setting the pace and fading to fifth at Churchill. Her sire turned in a powerhouse performance here give years ago when dominating the GI Met Mile by 14 1/4 lengths, good for a 123 Beyer Speed Figure.

The top three finishers from the GII Eight Belles S.–Obligatory (Curlin), Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) and Make Mischief (Into Mischief)–are also signed on. Obligatory was coming off a fourth-place run in the Fair Grounds Oaks when she belied 16-1 odds in the Eight Belles. The Juddmonte homebred went last to first that day after favored Dayoutoftheoffice chased hot splits. Dayoutoftheoffice took last year's GI Frizette S. over this strip last October before finishing second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“She's doing great and coming in perfect,” Dayoutoftheofffice's conditioner Tim Hamm said. “We worked her on Sunday morning (four furlongs at Thistledown in :49 flat {4/13}) and she went just as prescribed, doing exactly what we wanted. We are confident, but when you get to this level of racing, you need a good trip. She's coming into the race in good shape.”

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Cutbacks Coming and Going in Woody Stephens

There are only six runners signed on for Saturday's GI Woody Stephens S. on the GI Belmont S. undercard, but any one of them can win. Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) will be one of a few likely to have his eyes on the lead. A dominant winner of the Limehouse S. and GIII Swale S. at Gulfstream, he was second in the two-turn GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. there Feb. 27 before cutting back to annex the GIII Bay Shore S. going this distance at Aqueduct Apr. 3.

“I feel he's a better one-turn horse. Can he win two turns? Yes, against the right company,” Joseph, Jr. said. “But for him to achieve his full potential, one turn is his best distance. He's unbeaten at one turn. It's coming up a small field, but I think any one of them could win it. He'll have to run his best, but he's won most of his one-turn races quite handily and we never really let him out fully.”

Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), a MGISW juvenile, is also clearly better around one bend. He was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and third in the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27, but woke up in the GII Pat Day Mile S. on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard May 1, setting a blazing :43.68 half before holding off Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) by a head. Dream Shake belied 20-1 odds to be named a 'TDN Rising Star' after an impressive off-the-pace debut score sprinting at Santa Anita Feb. 7, and he was a well-beaten third in both the GII San Felipe S. a month later and GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Apr. 3 before shortening up himself in the Pat Day.

While some of his rivals have already made the route to sprint move, Caddo River (Hard Spun)'s will come here. The Jan. 22 Smarty Jones S. romper faded to fifth at 6-5 in the Mar. 13 GII Rebel S., but bounced back to be second after showing the way in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 10. He had been under consideration for both the Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S., but Brad Cox and owner/breeder John Ed Anthony of Shortleaf Stable ultimately decided on a shorter distance.

“We're hopeful that the cutback is the play here from the mile and an eighth,” Cox said. “He's been freshened a little bit. He's been working steady over the past month and hopefully, with a good trip, he can have a breakthrough performance and maybe pick off a Grade I. I think the shortening up will be good for him.”

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