Circling the Drain shakes clear to win an allowance optional claimer Feb. 20 at Laurel Park (Maryland Jockey Club)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
BALTIMORE— Stakes-placed Circling the Drain, worse than third just once in six dirt tries, will shorten up and switch surfaces as he makes his turf debut in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy at historic Pimlico Race Course.
The 58th running of the one-mile Murphy for 3-year-olds and 18th renewal of the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up going five furlongs, both scheduled for the grass, are among 0 stakes, six graded, worth $2.6 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race program headlined by the 148th renewal of the Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
First race post time is 10:30 a.m. (EST).
Bred and owned by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds, Circling the Drain most recently broke slowly and was never involved winding up seventh in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 15 at Laurel Park. Two horses from that race, winner Perform and fifth-place finisher Coffeewithchris, are entered to make their next start in the Preakness.
Prior to the Tesio, Circling the Drain had alternated firsts and seconds through his first four races before running third behind Hayes Strike and Coffeewithchris in Laurel’s 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 18.
“We weren’t terribly disappointed in the Tesio,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “It was just sort of put a line through it, regroup, and hopefully we can get him back on track.”
Russell has always had grass in the back of her mind for Circling the Drain, a gelded son of West Coast out of the Cozzene mare Who’s Cozy. Cozzene was the champion turf horse of 1985 following his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) while Who’s Cozy placed three times in grass stakes including a third in the 2005 Lake George (G3).
“We always kind of thought he was kind of that big, two-turn, turfy-type moving horse,” Russell said. “He seemed to be doing well on the dirt so we didn’t want to change a whole lot. Actually, we have had him up at Fair Hill training and he’s been galloping out back on the grass and he seems to really travel well over it. He enjoys it out there, so you hope he takes to it in the afternoon.”
Russell’s former boss, two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, will send out Blue Diamond Stud Farm’s homebred Wonderful Justice. The bay son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify began his career with two straight wins this year including the 1 1/16-mile Black Gold at Fair Grounds before finishing a troubled ninth in the April 7 Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland.
“He didn’t run very well at Keeneland,” Cox said. “He started out two-for-two, and he’s doing well.”
Corrigan Racing Stable, Inc. and Tom Campbell’s Nagirroc has never been worse than third in six starts, winning the six-furlong Futurity (G3) over the Aqueduct turf last fall in his stakes debut. Since then the bay Lea colt has run third by 2 ¼ lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), third by a length in the Eddie Logan – both last year – and second by a length in the Transylvania in his 2023 season opener.
Mark Grier’s A Western Yarn has raced six times with two wins, both coming in three tires going the Murphy distance. He comes out of a third in the one-mile Columbia March 11 at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Arnaud Delacour.
“[He’s] doing good,” Delacour said. “A very honest horse. Probably a mile is as far as he wants to go. He has always been consistent, and we have always liked him.”
Three Chimneys Farm’s Funtastic Again, trained by Wesley Ward, won the one-mile Leonatus and was third behind subsequent Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Two Phil’s after setting the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) March 25, both races coming over Turfway’s all-weather course.
Also entered are 2022 Ellis Park Juvenile winner Top Recruit, Fadethenoise, Kingfish Stevens and Moonstrike.
