OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Whiskey Double made amends last out when turning back to six furlongs and will look to continue his one-turn success in next Saturday’s Grade 3 Bay Shore on the Wood Memorial undercard.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who won the 2008 Bay Shore with J Be K, Whiskey Double defeated winners last out on February 28 at Oaklawn Park, coming neatly from seven lengths off the pace to score by three-quarters of a length while producing a career best 80 Beyer over a sloppy and sealed track.
The Into Mischief colt was previously a distant sixth in his lone two-turn start on February 13 at Fair Grounds.
“He ran a nice race at Oaklawn last time. It looks like he’ll fit into the race really well,” said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske.
An $875,000 acquisition from the Buck Pond Farm consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Whiskey Double had his connections optimistic after a three-quarter length debut win in June at Churchill Downs.
A minor setback sidelined Whiskey Double until January 17 when he finished third going six furlongs at Fair Grounds in a first-level allowance won by O Besos, who finished third in last weekend’s Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.
“He showed a lot of promise and talent last year and we got excited about him,” Fiske said. “He had a little body work that needed to be done on him. He came out of the race at Churchill with some ankle chips, so we got that cleaned up and laid him up a bit. He ran a decent third to O Besos, so that turned out to be significant. We thought he might want to go around two turns until we tried it and then it didn’t look like he wanted to do it. So, we took him to Oaklawn to sprint him and we ran a really nice race up there.”
Fiske did not rule out another attempt at two turns for Whiskey Double.
“The run in New Orleans didn’t work out for him, but I won’t say we won’t ever try two turns again, maybe as a slightly older horse,” Fiske said. “In the past, we’ve had horses that have handled two turns better with more maturity and more experience as older horses.”
Bred in Kentucky by Buck Pond Farm and Richard M. Seale, Whiskey Double is out of the Munnings mare Lake Sebago, who was a two-time stakes-winner at one turn during her juvenile campaign. He is from the same family as New York-bred stakes winner Rinaldi, as well as multiple graded stakes placed Ontario-bred Hollinger.
Aqueduct Press Release
Whiskey Double maiden win, June 27, 2020 at Churchill Downs (Coady)
