Tommy Drury | Horse Racing Free Tips

Art Collector Set For 2021 Debut In Kelly’s Landing

Bruce Lunsford's Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes winning-homebred Art Collector leads a field of nine colts and geldings that were entered in Friday's $110,000 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. – the penultimate card of the 38-day Spring Meet.

The seven-furlong Kelly's Landing was carded as Race 10 with a post time of 5:26 p.m. The 11-race program begins at 12:45 p.m.

Art Collector, a now 4-year-old son of Bernardini, is slated to make his seasonal debut in Friday's race following more than seven months away from the races. Trained by Tommy Drury Jr., Art Collector has been regularly training with Drury's string of horses at Churchill Downs and will once again be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr.

“We've done everything we can right now for his first race back,” Drury said. “He worked a really good half-mile (Saturday in :47.40). He's ready to go and we're excited to get him back to the races.”

Art Collector was the early Kentucky Derby (GI) favorite in 2020 following his 3 ½-length Blue Grass (GII) win and 3 ¼-length score in the Ellis Park Derby. Drury and Lunsford had to scratch Art Collector the day of the Derby post position draw because a minor foot issue developed. He returned to run in the Preakness Stakes (GI) but finished fourth after tracking the early pace. Art Collector closed his 3-year-old campaign with an eighth-place effort in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile (GI).

The five-time winner drew post No. 9 in the Kelly's Landing.

Another accomplished colt entered in the Kelly's Landing is Tamaroak Partners' six-time winning homebred Bango. The Greg Foley-trained son of Congrats held off fellow Kelly's Landing rival Long Range Toddy in the $150,000 Aristides Stakes in his last start. Bango has recorded five of his six lifetime victories beneath the Twin Spires. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount from post 6.

The complete Kelly's Landing field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Mucho (Gabriel Saez, John Ortiz); Strike Power (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen); Bourbon Calling (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes); Long Range Toddy (Jon Court, Dallas Stewart); Home Base (Manny Esquivel, Cipriano Contreras); Bango (Gaffalione, Foley); Aloha West (Florent Geroux, Wayne Catalano); Relentless Dancer (Martin Garcia, Mike Maker); and Art Collector (Hernandez, Drury).

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Art Collector Readies for Churchill Return

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector (Bernardini), winner of last year's GII Toyota Blue Grass S., is expected to make his 4-year-old debut in the June 25 Kelly's Landing S. at Churchill Downs. The bay colt was fourth in last year's GI Preakness S. and has been off since finishing eighth in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Art Collector has been back on the work tab at Churchill Downs for the last four weeks, most recently working a half-mile in :50.60 (9/9) on the turf Sunday at Churchill Downs with regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. in the saddle.

“He has some turf in his pedigree and actually broke his maiden on the grass. Today's work was just to keep our options open,” trainer Tommy Drury, Jr. said. “We're going to target the seven-furlong Kelly's Landing on dirt as his comeback race and take things from there. We're very fortunate to have a horse like this in our barn. He's shown his talent last year and we're very excited for what's ahead this year.”

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Drury Plans First 2021 Start For Art Collector

Bruce Lunsford's 2020 Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes-winning homebred Art Collector will target the $110,000 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on Friday, June 25 to begin his 4-year-old campaign, according to trainer Tommy Drury Jr.

Art Collector has been on the sidelines since running eighth in last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (GI) at Keeneland. The colt went to the farm in South Carolina following the Breeders' Cup but has been back on the work tab at Churchill Downs for the last four weeks. The five-time winning son of Bernardini worked a half-mile in :50.60 on the turf Sunday at Churchill Downs with regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. in the saddle.

“He has some turf in his pedigree and actually broke his maiden on the grass. Today's work was just to keep our options open,” Drury said. “We're going to target the seven-furlong Kelly's Landing on dirt as his comeback race and take things from there. We're very fortunate to have a horse like this in our barn. He's shown his talent last year and we're very excited for what's ahead this year.”

The Kelly's Landing is one of eight stakes on closing weekend of the 2021 Spring Meet that's headlined by the $600,000 Stephen Foster (GII) on Saturday, June 26.

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Improving Sprawl Faces Tough Competition In Saturday’s Blame Stakes

Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider are hoping their improving homebred Sprawl can score his first stakes victory in Saturday's $150,000 Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs, a race named in honor of his owners' prized stallion Blame.

“I'm very thankful to train a horse like this who has such a high quality pedigree and is owned and bred by one of the most historic farms in the world,” trainer Tom Drury Jr. said.

Sprawl, a 4-year-old son of City Zip, was made the 3-1 co-second choice on the morning line in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile Blame Stakes. He'll be making his 14th-career start and fourth start since being transferred from trainer Bill Mott to Drury.

“We were very impressed with how well he won in his last start,” Drury said. “The timing from that allowance race set up perfectly to try him in stakes company again. Hopefully he can repeat his allowance win on Saturday.”

Sprawl recorded his third career victory May 9 at Churchill Downs with a front-running 7 ¼-length win in a 1 1/16-mile conditioned allowance event. The chestnut colt tried stakes company four times while in the care of Mott and recently finished fourth by three-quarters of a length in the $150,000 Ben Ali (Grade 3) at Keeneland where he was defeated by fellow Blame rivals Silver Dust and Night Ops.

Saturday's Blame Stakes, which will go as Race 6 with a post time of 3:18 p.m., is a prep for the $600,000 Stephen Foster (G2) on June 26 at Churchill Downs. The Stephen Foster is a “Win and You're In” race for the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar.

The Blame is one of seven stakes events on Saturday's stellar 11-race card. The others are the $150,000 Audubon (Race 5), $150,000 Shawnee (Race 7), $150,000 Regret (G3) (Race 8), $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) (Race 9), $150,000 Aristides (Listed) (Race 10) and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes (Race 11). The program gets underway at 12:45 p.m.

The field for the Blame (from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Mighty Heart (James Graham, Josie Carroll, 12-1)
Sprawl (Brian Hernandez Jr., Drury, 3-1)
Night Ops (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 5-2)
Guest Suite (Manny Esquivel, Cipriano Contreras, 12-1)
American Dubai (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro, 6-1)
South Bend (Tyler Gaffalione, Bill Mott. 6-1)
Silver Dust (Adam Beschizza, Bret Calhoun, 3-1).

Saturday's National Weather Service forecast in Louisville calls for unseasonably mild temperatures with a high near 63 degrees and mostly cloudy skies.

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