Flameaway to make delayed turf debut

Off a solid debut victory on Woodbine’s synthetic main track, Flameaway was set to try the turf in Saratoga’s Skidmore Stakes in August. But when the race was rained off the grass and onto the muddy main track, trainer Mark Casse decided to see how he’d handle that.

“I wasn’t really sure, to be honest,” Casse said. “He had trained really well on the grass. But most grass horses and synthetic horses, they like firm going, so I thought he’d get over it okay.”

Get over it, he did, as Flameaway posted a 1 1/2-length win in the Skidmore, opening a door to more dirt-track competition. But off that win, Flameaway finished sixth on a fast dirt track in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs last month.

Now, nearly two months after a rainstorm’s timing set him on a career detour, Flameaway finally gets to try the turf in the Grade 3, $250,000 Bourbon Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland. The race awards a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf next month at Del Mar.

Flameaway bounced out of the Iroquois with a sharp work at Keeneland on Oct. 1, going four furlongs in 47.40 seconds, best of 53 at the distance that day. He and jockey Julien Leparoux have drawn post 12 in the 14-horse field, with Shared Value the lone also-eligible. Shared Value is dependent on the moves of Captivating Moon, the Arlington-Washington Futurity runner-up, who is cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Keeneland’s dirt.

Several in the Bourbon field have already tangled with prominent players in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf division. Admirality Pier was most recently third, beaten less than a length, in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine behind Untamed Domain and Hemp Hemp Hooray. John Tippmann was second in the Turf Showcase Juvenile at Kentucky Downs to Snapper Sinclair, and the well-traveled Arawak was third in that race.

Tap Daddy comes into the Bourbon off a maiden victory at Kentucky Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen, and keeps Florent Geroux aboard Sunday for his stakes debut. Tap Daddy earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 74 – the secondhighest number in this field behind Captivating Moon’s 77 in the Arlington-Washington Futurity. Tap Daddy posted that victory on turf rated yielding. Up to an inch of rain is expected in Lexington on Sunday.

Budro Talking has won both his outings, including the Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Sunday rival High Providence was second in that stakes.