Trainer Bret Calhoun plans to start
He’s Comin in Hot (Early Flyer) in next Saturday’s 114th running of the $100,000 Bashford
Manor S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. The juvenile six-furlong sprint is one
of four stakes races scheduled for the “Downs After Dark” nighttime event that
will conclude the 38-day spring meet under the Twin Spires.
The Texas-bred
He’s Comin in Hot will enter the race after breaking his maiden in his third
start by 4 1/2 lengths on June 12 over the track. In his second start, the bay
gelding was second, beaten 2 1/4 lengths, but finished 5 1/2
lengths clear of third place-finisher Acapulco (Scat Daddy), who won the Queen Mary
S. (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot
on Wednesday.
“Some of the horses that he has been up against have come
back and run some big races,” Calhoun stated. “The horse that he ran
third to in his first race (unbeaten Cocked and Loaded [Colonel John]) came back and won the (Tremont)
stakes at Belmont so that gives him some legitimacy. He should be very
competitive in this race.
“I think he’ll be able to stretch out fine. The three-quarters shouldn’t hurt
him at all. His running style is very versatile.”
Also nominated to the Bashford Manor out of the Calhoun
barn is Jet Over (Jet Phone), a Texas-bred who captured his career debut at Churchill
by 2 1/4 lengths on May 23. Calhoun plans on sending the horse back to
his native Texas to run in the $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales
Futurity at Lone Star Park on July 11.
Other probables for the Bashford Manor include maidens Dothat
Dance (Louis Quatroze) and Justanothermorgan (Zavata) as well as Tremont
runner-up Paynes Prairie (Tale of Ekati), who looks to give trainer Steve
Asmussen his fifth Bashford Manor victory which would tie Hall of Fame trainer
D. Wayne Lukas’s record in this race.
Bella Vaquera is
nominated to the $100,000 Debutante S., which Calhoun has won the past two
editions of with Fiftyshadesofgold (My Golden Song) and Promise Me Silver
(Silver City), respectively. The
two-year-old Bella Vaquera is the lone Calhoun-trainee nominated to
the race but the trainer confirmed that the Kentucky-bred miss will not run in the
six-furlongs contest and
will be given a 30-day rest.
The probables for the Debutante include maiden Cosmic Evolution (Proud
Citizen), debut winner Langstar’s Charmer (Langfuhr), second-out scorer Sheza Fine Justice
(Regal Ransom) and maiden victress Tia Chuy (Archarcharch).
Grade 2 hero Frac Daddy (Scat Daddy) is on the
fence for next Saturday’s $200,000 Firecracker S. (G2), according to Kenny McPeek’s assistant Matt Shirer, who stated that the
five-year-old gray would
breeze once more before deciding on whether or not he would start.
Frac Daddy, who was last seen finishing second while making his seasonal bow
in the Opening Verse S.,
worked five furlongs in 1:00 Friday on Churchill Downs’ good dirt with Corey Lanerie up. The
C$150,000 Dominion
Day (Can-G3) at Woodbine on July 1 is also an option.
Probables for the Firecracker include dual Grade 2 conqueror Skyring (English
Channel), multiple Grade 3-placed stakes winner Hammers Terror (Artie Schiller),
stakes-placed R Great Adventure (Limehouse) and Lurego (Borrego).
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