Wise Dan ready to go another in the Shadwell Turf Mile
Freshly off his Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile win on 16 September, 2012, trainer Charles Lopresti is already looking to run his 5-year-old gelding, Wise Dan, in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on 6 October, 2012.
Morton Fink’s Wise Dan came out of the Woodbine Mile in perfect condition and the trainer doesn’t have a reason to hold his gelding back, and since he has been performing well over turf, the versatile horse is getting another turf race to post his hat-trick.
Having run only 20 days earlier in the Woodbine Mile, in which he dominated an international field and trumped the mile long event by defeating, Hunters Bay, by a considerable margin of 3 ¼ lengths.
Prior to the Woodbine Mile victory, Wise Dan was switched to turf from dirt after finishing second in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap to, Ron the Greek, but bounced right back in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap over Saratoga’s turf.
"He came out of the Woodbine Mile very well and the race didn't take much out of him, so it makes sense," Lopresti said. "All we have to do is ship him across the street. Mr. Fink talked about, and we figured he ran in the Shadwell last year and he came off that and won the Fayette. I worked him the other day and he went with the authority, as he did at Saratoga following the Fourstardave. He's such an incredible work horse. I would have had to work him several times anyway, so we might as well run him. He's never been better, otherwise I wouldn't do it."
The gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry is still pointed toward the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic according to the Charles Lopresti, but the Breeders’ Cup Mile is also on the cards.
Choosing a Breeders’ Cup race for Wise Dan solely depends on how he does in the Shadwell Turf Mile, and if he continues to run good on turf and win the race, than the possibility is to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf, but if he gets knocked out then Lopresti and Fink will have to re-evaluate things.
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