Rescheduled Knickerbocker attracts Proudinsky

Rescheduled Knickerbocker
attracts Proudinsky

Proudinsky will make his return in the Knickerbocker (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) Thursday’s $100,000 Knickerbocker H. (G3) features the return to action of multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire PROUDINSKY (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]). Originally carded for this past Sunday, the 1 1/8-mile contest on the inner turf at Belmont was moved when inclement weather forced racing off the grass in New York this weekend. Proudinsky, who is adept on both firm and rain-softened ground, opens as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel in the field of eight, plus two main-track-only entries. Proudinsky has not raced since opening up a length lead in the stretch before finishing third behind Breeders’ Cup-bound Presious Passion (Royal Anthem) in the Monmouth S. in June. The classy bay has been on the sidelines for the past four months, but not out of training. “He’s been working all along,” assistant trainer Jose Cuervas said. “He’s doing very good right now. We expect him to win. He looks like a million dollars.” Since finishing fourth in last year’s Knickerbocker, Proudinsky has captured the San Gabriel H. (G2) in December at Santa Anita and successfully defended his title in the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) at Fair Grounds in March.

Javier Castellano picks up the mount on Proudinsky, who has drawn the rail.

Proudinsky’s principal rivals may wind up being two runners from the barn of
trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

BRAVE TIN SOLDIER (Storm Cat), owned by McLaughlin, enters the Knickerbocker off a photo-finish victory over Pleasant Strike
(Smart Strike) in the Cliff Hanger S. (G3) on October 3 at the Meadowlands. It was the horse’s best
performance in 13 starts this year and came over yielding ground.

“He was racing in Dubai last winter with (trainer) Mike de Kock. He has improved
quite a bit in New Jersey,” assistant trainer Artie Magnuson said. “He ran on a
soft course (in the Cliff Hanger), which he probably likes.”

McLaughlin also will send out Shadwell Stable’s DANAK (Ire) (Pivotal), last seen in August 2008 pulling up in the late stages of the Fourstardave H.
(G2) at Saratoga. Danak has back class in his
corner, however, having finished sixth in the 2007 Arlington Million (G1), where
he was beaten all of
1 1/2 lengths. The Aga Khan-bred won the first four races of his
career, including a Group 3 stakes in Ireland.

Trainer Christophe Clement will run the popular gelding
OPERATION RED DAWN (Miswaki), who has placed in five of his past six graded stakes runs
without winning. The seven-year-old gelding comes off a half-length defeat at
the hands of
Inca King (Sir Cat) in a $100,000 claiming turf mile on August 24 at Saratoga.

“It’s been very difficult to run that kind of horse this year anywhere because
there are very few beaten allowance races,” Clement said. “We didn’t want to run
him in graded stakes at Saratoga because graded stakes there are very tough. He
should win more often. He’s an older horse that tries.”

Trainer Graham Motion has been shopping for spots for his promising four-year-old
YORKTOWN (Fr) (Red Ransom) owned by Earle I. Mack. Yorktown was scratched
from the October 4 Kelso S. (G3) at Belmont when the race came off the turf and then from
the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) on October 10 at Keeneland because of soft ground.

THE ROUNDHOUSE (Fusaichi Pegasus),
trained by Todd Pletcher, and late supplemental entry SOLAR FLARE (Arg) (Salt
Lake), from the barn
of Tony Dutrow, will run only if the race comes off the turf.