Hombre faces winners in possible Queen’s Plate prep
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Wesley Ward said he will skip the Grade 2 Honorable Miss with Ten Broeck Farm’s Kimari, who has not run since capturing the Grade 1 Madison on April 3 at Keeneland.
While nothing is physically amiss with the 4-year-old daughter of Munnings, Ward said she wasn’t showing the energy she previously had shown during morning training.
“She’s doing well, just not quite as good as she was previously so I thought we should err on the side of caution,” Ward said. “We did some X-rays and according to Dr. [Luis] Castro, she was perfect. But visually, she wasn’t quite kicking the same way she had. We gave her a break because she ran such a big race at Keeneland. When I lead her over there, I would want her to 100 percent.”
Ward breezed graded stakes winner Bound for Nowhere a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 over the turf course at the Oklahoma training track on Friday morning. Owned by Ward, the 7-year-old son of The Factor worked in company with Wink [59.80].
The winner of two non-consecutive editions of the Grade 2 Shakertown [2018, 2021] at Keeneland is targeting Grade 3, $200,000 Troy on August 6 at Saratoga.
“I was excited. I hadn’t seen him work like that in quite some time,” Ward said. “He was just pricking his ears the last sixteenth with lots of speed to spare. He was bouncing coming off of the track.”
Ward said he was unsure as to a next start for Stonestreet Stables’ Wink, who captured Gulfstream Park’s Melody of Colors in February ahead of a ninth in the Mamzelle at Churchill Downs.
“There are lots of turf sprints around, so we’ll be picking something out shortly,” Ward said. “She worked well. She needs a very firm course and with all that give in the ground, she wasn’t as effective. When it’s fast and firm she skips right along.”
Hombre breaking his maiden at Belmont on July 4, 2021. (NYRA/Coglianese)
Hombre faces winners in possible Queen’s Plate prep
Robert Cudney’s Ontario-bred Hombre will take on winners for the first time in a Saturday allowance optional claiming event for sophomores at 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.
Trained by Barclay Tagg, the dark bay or brown son of Tourist was victorious at second asking when travelling the same distance over a yielding inner turf course at Belmont Park on July 4. Hombre was placed closer to the pace than his previous start, where he was taken up after the break and was last of 11 but made up enough ground to finish fifth.
Hombre faces stakes placed Space Launch as well as well-bred maiden winners Performing Arts, Sifting Sands, and Munqad in Saturday’s engagement.
“He’s coming around really well. We got new shoes on him and he’s being doing great since then,” Tagg said.
Tagg indicated that the $1 million Queen’s Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, could be in play for Hombre with a solid effort on Saturday. The 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate is slated for August 22 on the Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack.
Bred in Ontario by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, Hombre is out of the Perfect Soul mare Classic Soul and is a half to stakes-winner Speedy Soul.
NYRA Press Office
TOP Photo: Kimari with John Velazquez up on her way to winning the Bolton Landing at Saratoga, August 18, 2019. (NYRA/Chelsea Durand)
