Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Dortmund to try turf in Kilroe
ARCADIA, Calif. – Dortmund, the six-time stakes winner, is likely to have his first start for trainer Art Sherman in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita next Saturday.
Sherman said the $400,000 Kilroe Mile has more appeal than the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs on dirt on the same day.
“I got a feeling it will be a little easier,” Sherman said of the Kilroe Mile. “I’ve been wanting to try him on grass.”
Owned by Kaleem Shah, Dortmund has never run on turf. Dortmund joined Sherman’s stable on Jan. 1 after Shah and trainer Bob Baffert parted ways. Dortmund has won 8 of 14 starts and earned $1,982,480.
A 5-year-old horse by Big Brown, Dortmund’s biggest win came in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April 2015. Dortmund was third to Triple Crown star American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.
Dortmund has not raced since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November. Last year, Dortmund was winless in four starts, including a third behind the Sherman-trained California Chrome in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August and a second to California Chrome in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes in October.
Dortmund has never started in a sprint stakes, and Sherman said a grueling race in the Triple Bend does not appeal to him for the horse’s first start in four months.
“It will be a big strain to go with those speed horses and have him comfortable,” Sherman said.
Both the Kilroe and Triple Bend will have competitive fields.
The list of candidates for the Kilroe includes the graded stakes winners Bal a Bali, Bolo, Conquest Enforcer, Ring Weekend, and What a View.
Bal a Bali worked seven furlongs in 1:26.40 on Friday. A 7-year-old Brazilian-bred, Bal a Bali has not raced since finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita last June. In late 2016, Bal a Bali was sold by Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm to Calumet Farm.
The probable starters for the $400,000 Triple Bend Stakes include Denman’s Call, Kobe’s Back, Masochistic, Point Piper, and Silent Bird.
On Friday, Masochistic worked seven furlongs in 1:27.40. He finished second in the BC Sprint last November but was disqualified from purse money for a steroid positive.
Third try for Hard Aces
Hard Aces has had a nearly constant presence in the major stakes for older horses in Southern California in recent years. He even wins a few of them.
Hard Aces won the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in 2015 and will have his third consecutive appearance in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap next Saturday. He was fourth in 2015 and second last year to Melatonin.
On Friday at Santa Anita, Hard Aces worked seven furlongs in 1:26.40, his final major exercise before the Big Cap. Trainer John Sadler is guardedly optimistic that Hard Aces will play a leading role in the race. The distance of 1 1/4 miles is not considered an issue.
“He does better if there is a lot of speed,” Sadler said. “He can run a mile and quarter. We would like to see him get a good check.”
Hard Aces, 7, was fifth in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 4, his only start this year.
Hard Aces is part of a probable field of seven or eight for the Big Cap, along with Follow Me Crev, Gangster, Imperative, Isotherm, Midnight Storm, Shaman Ghost, and Twentytwentyvision.
There is a chance that Twentytwentyvision could be held out of the Big Cap for the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes on March 25, trainer Richard Mandella said.
◗ In other works on Friday, Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015, worked five furlongs in 1:01.40. Trained by Sadler, Stellar Wind is scheduled to have her 2017 debut in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 14.
◗ Iliad, the winner of the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 12, worked seven furlongs in 1:26. He starts in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles next Saturday.
◗ Hoppertunity and Mor Spirit, first and second in the San Antonio Stakes, worked six furlongs in company in 1:12.60. Hoppertunity is being pointed to the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 25. Mor Spirit is a candidate for the Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park on March 18.
Lady Pamela to Uncle Mo
Lady Pamela, the well-bred allowance filly owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, will retire from racing and be bred this spring to Uncle Mo, trainer Cliff Sise said.
Lady Pamela, a 4-year-old Tapit filly produced by Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Life Is Sweet, finished seventh as the favorite in an allowance Feb. 24. Sise said Lady Pamela had a “meltdown” in the paddock, her second subpar effort since recovering from colic last fall.