Wise Dan tops 10-horse Turf Classic field; Big Bazinga returns to grass

Wise Dan (right) and Kaigun will meet back up in the Turf Classic (Keeneland/Coady Photography)

Nine will line up against two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan on Saturday in
the Grade 1, $500,000

Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile grass race headlines a five-strong graded undercard on
Kentucky Derby Day that also includes the Grade 2, $250,000

American Turf and Grade 2, $300,000

Churchill Distaff Turf Mile.

Wise Dan drew the rail in the Turf Classic, a race he captured last year by 4
3/4 lengths over yielding turf as part of a nine-race win streak that included
six Grade 1 victories. In fact, since 2011 the only thing keeping the Charles
LoPresti seven-year-old from boasting a 19-race winning skein are three races: a
pair of runner-up finishes in last season’s Shadwell Turf Mile and the 2012
Stephen Foster Handicap, and a fourth in the 2011 Shadwell Turf Mile.

John Velazquez has been the predominate jockey aboard Wise Dan during that
time and will be back in the irons as the chestnut gelding bids for a second
straight Turf Classic triumph to progress yet another win streak.

Kaigun tried to give Wise Dan a run for his money in the Maker’s 46 Mile last
out at Keeneland, but just couldn’t catch his older rival and had to settle for
second. The Mark Casse trainee will give it another go Saturday under Alan
Garcia while receiving six pounds from the 124-pound highweight.

Boisterous returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since taking the Man o’ War last July (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Boisterous captured last year’s Man o’ War going longer at Belmont Park, but
was unable to do better than third in his next three races for trainer Shug
McGaughey. Subsequently switched to Todd Pletcher’s shedrow, the dark bay son of
Distorted Humor continued his run of bad luck when eighth in the Gulfstream Park
Turf Handicap to open his seven-year-old season on February 9.

Boisterous needed a confidence builder and got just that when taking an
allowance over Keeneland’s grass last out at the Turf Classic distance. Javier
Castellano will be in the saddle Saturday as the Kentucky-bred veteran attempts
to continue his good fortune.

Skyring only managed to be in the top two twice from 10 starts last year but
seems to have turned a corner for D. Wayne Lukas. The bay five-year-old missed
by only a nose in his season opener when second in the Fair Grounds Handicap and
rebounded to take the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Handicap next out by a neck. Joe Rocco
Jr. was aboard for that score and retains the mount on Saturday.

Big Bazinga’s only try on turf resulted in a close second in February (Natalie Fawkes/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Big Bazinga’s only attempt on turf resulted in a runner-up finish in a
Gulfstream optional claimer over the winter, but the Bluegrass Cat gelding will
give it another try Saturday in the American Turf, which drew 11 three-year-olds
going 1 1/16 miles.

Big Bazinga was on the Kentucky Derby trail but didn’t get enough points to
make it into the field when only finishing fifth in the Spiral and fourth in the
Blue Grass in his past two. In fact, besides his career openers on Woodbine’s
Polytrack, the dark bay’s best finish came in the aforementioned turf race.
Corey Nakatani will be aboard the Katerina Vassilieva trainee Saturday.

Storming Inti and Woodfield Springs are two of the top draws in the American
Turf. The former captured the Pulpit and Kitten’s Joy turf stakes at Gulfstream
over the winter and is exiting a fourth-place run in the Transylvania over
Keeneland’s synthetic Polytrack last out. Woodfield Springs finished 3 1/4
lengths in front of Storming Inti in the Transylvania after breaking his maiden
on the green at Gulfstream in March. Castellano has the call on Storming Inti
while Leparoux rides Woodfield Springs.

Cleburne is also returning to the turf Saturday after finishing third in the
Calder Derby in his sophomore bow on April 5. The Dale Romans pupil broke his
maiden first out on turf and gets a jockey switch to Mike Smith for this one.

Centre Court (inside) refused to yield in the Honey Fox two back (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography)

The Churchill Distaff Turf Mile kicks off the stakes action on Saturday and
attracted nine fillies and mares, including Grade 1 queen Centre Court.

The Smart Strike mare opened her five-year-old season with a win at
Gulfstream in the Honey Fox and just missed defending her Jenny Wiley title last
out when fifth by only three parts of a length. The Rusty Arnold trainee
bypassed this contest following her 2013 Jenny Wiley score and headed straight
to Belmont for a fourth-placing in the Just a Game, but is stopping off at
Churchill this time around under Leparoux.

Centre Court drew the far outside post while rival and Grade 3 winner Tapicat
will break from the rail. The latter filly is looking to avenge her
fifth-placing in the Honey Fox last out. Miz Ida is also looking to turn the
tables on Centre Court after trading decisions with that one in their last two
meetings. The Proud Citizen mare was fifth when her opponent won the 2012 Mrs.
Revere, but the pair didn’t meet back up until last August’s Ballston Spa at
Saratoga, where Centre Court ran eighth to Miz Ida’s sixth.