Wise Dan had an easy morning after his impressive 3 3/4-length victory in the
Friday’s Grade 1 Clark Handicap. The four-year-old gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry
walked the shedrow and then grazed for an hour outside trainer Charlie
Lopresti’s barn at Keeneland.
“He came out of the race in perfect shape,” Lopresti said. “He’s 100
percent.”
The Clark Handicap victory caps a phenomenal year for Wise Dan, who recorded
stakes victories on turf, dirt and synthetic surfaces. Other than the Clark, he
was also victorious in the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap, Presque Isle Mile and
Grade 2 Fayette Stakes, with the latter two on synthetic surfaces. Lopresti said
Wise Dan would now get some well-deserved time off.
“We’ll let him wind down (at Keeneland) and then take him to our farm in
Lexington,” Lopresti said. “He’ll have the whole month of December off and some
of January and then we’ll start getting him ready for a five-year-old campaign.”
While plans for Wise Dan’s first start next year are not definite, Lopresti
does have a race in mind.
“He can run on any surface at different distances, so we have a lot of
options with him,” Lopresti said. “Most likely we will bring him back in the
(Grade 2) Commonwealth (Stakes) at Keeneland like we did this year.”
Wise Dan won’t be the only talented horse racing from the Lopresti barn next
year. Turallure, winner of the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and second by a nose to
Court Vision in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, is expected to race next year,
as is Successful Dan, Wise Dan’s older half-brother who missed 2011 with a
tendon injury. Successful Dan was disqualified from first and placed third in
last year’s Clark.
“Successful Dan is at our farm and gallops about five days a week,” Lopresti
said. “We’ll keep doing that for awhile and then get more serious with him in
January or February. Look for him in the spring.”
With so many top horses in the barn, Lopresti will be faced with the tough
task of keeping them apart from each other during their 2012 campaigns; however,
he is unsure if that will even be possible.
“I was able to keep Turallure and Wise Dan apart this year, but I don’t know
if I can keep them all apart next year,” Lopresti said. “It’ll be tough and a
couple of them may have to go in the same race. But this is a good problem to
have. It’s been a dream year and if next year is half as good as this one, then
I’ll be thrilled.”
Mission Impazible came back from his runner-up effort to Wise Dan in Clark in
good order, according to assistant trainer Michael McCarthy. No definitive plans
have been made regarding his next start.
Clark favorite Flat Out, who finished third behind Wise Dan and Mission
Impazible, also exited the race in good order, according to trainer Scooter
Dickey. Flat Out, who won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in
October, will ship to Dickey’s barn at Gulfstream Park on Monday afternoon and
will be given a few weeks rest before being prepared for a 2012 campaign.
“I’ll work him on the turf at Gulfstream and if he works well then he could
start the year in the (Grade 3) Fort Lauderdale (Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the
turf on January 14),” Dickey said. “If he doesn’t work well on the turf, then
we’ll probably point to the (Grade 1) Donn Handicap (at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt
on February 11).”