Kant Hurry Love after capturing the Dancin Renee June 23 at Belmont Park (Susie Raisher)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— Ken Wheeler, Jr.’s stakes-winner Kant Hurry Love is on target for a start in the $120,000 Garland of Roses, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, on December 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by David Duggan, the 4-year-old Kantharos bay was last seen finishing last-of-4 in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie on November 5, an uncharacteristic effort for the filly after hitting the board in 15 of her last 17 starts. She dueled for the early lead with Frank’s Rockette before faltering in the turn and fading down the stretch.
“It is what it is,” said Duggan. “It was just the wrong spot and we’ll move forward.”
Kant Hurry Love will look to cap a stellar campaign that included a win in the state-bred Dancin Renee by a nose over Grannys Connection in June at Belmont Park and a game runner-up effort to that same foe in the Union Avenue Handicap on August 11 at Saratoga Race Course. She has banked over $400,000 through a record of 18-5-6-4.
“She’s a cool filly to be around,” said Duggan. “They’re hard to find.”
Duggan enjoyed a two-win day last Saturday at the Big A, taking a waiver maiden claimer with Borletti and a waiver claimer with Mouly. It was the second time within the month that Duggan posted training double, building on the November 9 card that saw him win a maiden claiming tilt with Classic Diva and a maiden special weight with the debuting New York-bred Walk With Me.
“It was fantastic,” said Duggan. “’Tis our season. We were running November horses in July, so this is the time we can be competitive. If they all stay healthy and sound, they’ll have a good campaign in the wintertime.”
Wizard Stables’ New York-bred Walk With Me, a juvenile daughter of Central Banker, led at each point of call in a six-furlong sprint against fellow state-breds and found enough late to stave off the bid of Call Her Bluff by a head.
“More than likely, we’ll try her sprinting again before stretching her out,” said Duggan. “She’s got a bit of quality to her. She’s OK. Once we see her at seven-eighths or a mile, we’ll see how high she can go. She’s got some class to her. This is her time to shine we’ll see if she can move forward as a 3-year-old.”
Bred by Richard Nicolai, Walk With Me was a $100,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Eastern Fall Yearling Sale and is out of the multiple stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be, a sibling to New York stakes-winners Tiergan and Sheriffa.
