Clark participants to seek warmer
climates
All of the runners in this year’s Clark H. (G2) came out of
the race in good form according to their respective trainers and
a majority of them will be heading south. Richard Dutrow Jr.
conditions Clark winner SAINT LIAM (Saint Ballado) and said that
he did not believe the Clark was one of the four-year-old’s best
efforts.
“He didn’t take my breath away today the way I was
expecting him to and hoping him to,” Dutrow said. “He’s
better than these horses, but he did have a rough trip for the
first part of the race.”
The bay colt will be heading to Florida’s Palm Meadows
training center Wednesday. Dutrow said that his plans for Saint
Liam include the Donn H. (G1) at Gulfstream Park on February 5.
Nick Zito said that his pair, runner-up SEEK GOLD (Touch Gold)
and seventh-place finisher PIES PROSPECT (Crafty Prospector),
would also be on a van headed south. Seek Gold rallied from far
back after refusing to enter the gate and a bad start. Pies
Prospect finished back in the field but Zito was still pleased
with his run.
“I knew he’d run well,” Zito said. “If you look
at his race, he ran great.”
PERFECT DRIFT (Dynafomer) came out of his third-place finish
well according to trainer Murray Johnson. Although the five-year-old
gave a strong effort, Johnson said the slow fractions compromised
his charge’s chances.
“It should be mandatory that all Grade 1s have to go less
than :47,” he said.
Johnson claimed that Perfect Drift will now head back to the
farm of owner Dr. William Reed where the gelding’s winter routine
may change from the ordinary.
“We ran a little later this year, so it’ll be a little
shorter break. We probably aren’t going to let him down quite as
much as we did last year. He should be back a little quicker and
a little better next year.”
Paul McGee stated that SUAVE (A.P. Indy), fourth in the Clark,
would likely spend the winter at Fair Grounds. However, there is
a chance that the Northern Dancer S. (G3) winner could stay in
Kentucky long enough to make a run in the Prairie Bayou H. at
Turfway Park on December 18.
Fifth-place finisher EUROSILVER (Unbridled’s Song),
conditioned by Carl Nafzger, came out of the race in good
condition and will also be heading to Palm Meadows for the
winter, according to assistant trainer Ian Wilkes. LUNDY’S
LIABILITY (Brz) (Candy Stripes) will be headed to trainer Bobby
Frankel’s California barn on Tuesday after setting a moderate
pace in the Clark, which was only his second U.S. start, before
fading to sixth.
Stephen Foster H. (G1) victor COLONIAL COLONY (Pleasant Colony)
exited his eighth-place finish well and would return next year,
according to trainer Dallas Stewart. The six-year-old horse was
making only his second start since a sixth-place outing in the
Pacific Classic (G1) in August.
“Pat (Day) said he got dog tired,” Stewart said.
“I put as many works into him as I could. We were pushed for
time a little bit to get him ready. The owner wanted to run, so
we took a shot.”
Trainer Mike Tomlinson described SIR CHEROKEE (Cherokee Run)
as “perfectly fine” after finishing ninth and last. The
four-year-old colt will most likely head to Oaklawn Park after
the first of the year but Tomlinson is not sure where the bay
will run next. FANTASTICAT (Storm Cat), who was scratched due to
concerns of a quarter crack in the left front foot, will most
likely head to Fair Grounds for the winter.