Carve breezes for Homecoming Classic at Churchill

Last updated: 9/20/14 3:01 PM

Carve strung together three straight wins, including the Cornhusker
and WV Governor’s, before finishing second in the Ack Ack

(Mountaineer/Coady Photography)

Grade 3 winner Carve posted a
half-mile workout in :48 3/5 over
Churchill Downs‘
fast main track on Saturday in preparation for the
$125,000 Homecoming Classic on September 27.

The gelded son of First Samurai is exiting a runner-up effort behind Bradester in the September 6 Ack Ack Handicap
under the Twin Spires, and delighted trainer Brad Cox with his Saturday move.

“It was an awesome work; I was very pleased,” Cox stated.

Cox believes the Homecoming Classic will benefit
the dark bay four-year-old, because of the two-turn distance of 1 1/8
miles versus the one-mile distance of the Ack Ack.

“Two turns will help him,” Cox said. “I think going two turns is a little bit
better than one for him. He won here (at Churchill) in the spring in a one-turn
mile in an allowance, but all his other wins have been around two turns.”

Cox said he’d wait and see who would show up in the race
before they developed a set strategy, but indicated that Carve ideally would be
close to the lead.

“We’ll wait and see the post positions and see who all is
running,” the horseman explained. “I’d say he’ll be close. I don’t know if he’ll
be right on the lead but at least stalking up there close. He sure is doing well
though.”

Given the two-turn comment, Cox said if Carve were to win
the Homecoming Classic, he would be more likely to point him to the
Breeders’ Cup Dirt
Mile versus the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“I don’t think he wants to go much further than 1 1/8
miles,” Cox said. “So if he runs a big one and we decide to go to the Breeders’
Cup, we’d probably point him to the Dirt Mile over the Classic.”

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