Banned up against rival Air Support and potential streak killer Street Game in the Virginia Derby
Glen Hill Farm owned Banned is to head a field of 12 three-year-old horses in the $600,000 Grade 2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on 16 July. Banned who had fancied grass racing over the main track, has actually prospered on it.
Trained by Thomas Proctor, Banned is the morning line favourite for the 1 ¼ mile test. He will go on to contest his winning turf from Secretariat turf race course.
Banned has had six grass starts in his career and he has won the last two graded stakes which shot up his earnings to $297,576.
The 5 to 2 morning line favourite is by Kitten’s Joy, who himself won the then Grade 3 Virginia Derby back in the year 2004.
Banned is yet to race in a grade 1 class race, but thus far whatever graded class he has been put into, the three-year-old colt has responded for his connections.
Coming off two consecutive graded stakes wins, Banned started off the season with an allowance race at Keeneland over a distance of 1 mile under jockey Garrett Gomez on 17 April, 2011.
He finished third behind Suntracer and Forbidden Forest.
Out of Keeneland and back to Churchill Downs where he raced in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf under jockey Joel Rosario to finish fifth on 6 November, 2011.
This time around in 2011, Banned owned the Churchill Downs turf track in the Grade 2 American Turf as he dismissed his rivals Air Support and Close Alley to finish first under jockey Garret Gomez on 6 May.
The next assignment was too at Churchill Downs with a different partner in the shape of jockey Jose Lezcano, who roused the colt in his first maiden race only to finish fifth at Saratoga.
On 18 June, 2011, the pair combined forces to conquer 1 1/16 mile event in the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup.
They cruised past their competition and gained a lead in the final furlong over Benergy and Perregaux to finish first for a second graded stakes win in a row.
The Grade 2 American Turf rival, Air Support is also among the entrants and he is the fourth choice in betting.
The Smart Strike colt has been battle tested and has won two graded stakes races of his own, one last year the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park the other at Keeneland in Garde 3 Transylvania Stakes.
The one to look out for is Street Game, the second favourite send at 4 to 1, who has never finished worse than third.
Street Game turned some heads when he won the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park by a massive 7 ¼ lengths on 18 June.
Banned will have his work cut out on 16 July as he braces himself to flag another graded stakes win, taking his tally up to three in a row.
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