The number of rivals that will face Fort Larned in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile
Homecoming Classic at Churchill Downs dropped to five when Golden Ticket boarded
a plane for Southern California early Thursday morning.
The Kenny McPeek-trained dead-heat winner of the 2012 Travers at Saratoga was
the 4-1 second choice in Churchill Downs’ oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning
line for the race, but Golden Ticket will run instead in the $250,000 Awesome
Again at Santa Anita rather than face Fort Larned over his home track.
Golden Ticket finished second to Fort Larned in the Stephen Foster Handicap
in June, but was never a threat to the front-running winner, who won by 6 1/4
lengths in a dazzling performance.
McPeek was lured to the Santa Antia race because of the Awesome Again is both
a Grade 1 race and a “Breeders’ Cup Win and Your In” Challenge Series race. A
victory in the Awesome Again would earn Golden Ticket a spot in the starting
gate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 2.
McPeek also shipped Locust Grove winner Flashy American to Santa Anita to run
in the $250,000 Zenyatta, a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup
Distaff.
Meanwhile, trainer Ian Wilkes said Fort Larned was doing well on the eve of
his final prep for his defense of the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic victory. The
five-year-old son of E Dubai galloped strongly at Churchill Downs on Friday.
“The horse is feeling good,” Wilkes said. “He had a good day (Friday). So
everything’s done. I’m not sure what I’ll do with him (Saturday morning) yet.
I’ll do something with him, but he’s in good shape.”
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