Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
The Bindner-Bejarano team reunites with Tiz Our Turn
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Walt Bindner Jr. couldn’t remember the last time he and jockey Rafael Bejarano teamed to win a race. But he sure remembers that one time.
“Of course I do,” Bindner said the morning after Tiz Our Turn ($10.20) carried Bejarano to a 3 3/4-length triumph in a $38,415 starter-allowance Thursday over the Churchill Downs turf.
Bejarano won the Grade 1, $750,000 Stephen Foster on June 12, 2004, at Churchill aboard Colonial Colony, giving Bindner easily the biggest score in a training career that dates to 1974. Colonial Colony, the rank outsider in a field of six, paid $127.20 when up by a nose over Southern Image in the slop.
In all, Daily Racing Form statistics show Bindner and Bejarano teaming for five wins from 22 starts. The latest victory gave Bindner, 72, a particularly deep measure of gratification, mostly because Tiz Our Turn had been such a major reclamation project over the last couple of years.
Tiz Our Turn, now 5, was turned out following an August 2018 race.
“I honestly never thought he’d ever make it back,” said Bindner. “About a year later, I saw him in a field running around like a wild horse. I brought him back, but then he got an infected hock, so that took him another six months.”
The gelding now has had five races since returning to action in late May, winning three of those. “He took a lot of patience and a lot of work,” said Bindner. “When it ends up like this, it’s very rewarding.”
Tiz Our Turn is the only active runner in Bindner’s care at the HighPointe training center near LaGrange, Ky.
“I’ve been trying to ease out of the game,” said Bindner, “but a horse like this keeps drawing you back in.”
Mr. Big News sharp
Mr. Big News was sent through his first serious work since finishing third in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby when breezing a half-mile in 48.80 seconds early Friday over a fast Churchill surface. The Giant’s Causeway colt is one of about a dozen early prospects for the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico.
Trainer Bret Calhoun said Mr. Big News “was very sharp” in what was intended to be something of a maintenance work.
“We were only looking for a half in about 50, but he was full of energy and galloped out great,” said Calhoun.
At 46-1, Mr. Big News ruined plenty of mutuel tickets with a big move with a quarter-mile remaining in the Derby. The colt had only become publicly revealed as a Derby starter about an hour before entries were drawn the Tuesday before the race. Gabriel Saez has a return call for the $1 million Preakness.
A number of other works for Preakness hopefuls were scheduled over the weekend at Churchill, led by Derby winner Authentic and his Bob Baffert stablemate Thousand Words. Art Collector was expected to breeze Saturday, as was the star filly Swiss Skydiver, whose connections have said the Preakness is a possibility.
A Baltimore-bound equine charter flight is tentatively scheduled out of Louisville for the Tuesday before the race, Sept. 29, according to the Tex Sutton Forwarding Co. website.
Mena has cracked ribs
Jockey Miguel Mena is expected to be out of action for a few weeks after being thrown to the turf by his mount, Urbana, at the finish of the fifth race Thursday. Mena suffered two cracked ribs in the incident and took off the balance of his mounts.
Agent Joe Santos said Mena could return “by the second week of Keeneland,” which opens Oct. 2.
“No punctures or anything else internal,” Santos said. “He heals up pretty quick.”
Urbana suffered a catastrophic injury just as she was crossing under the wire in seventh place. Trainer Steve Margolis reported the 3-yearold Tapit filly had to be euthanized.
The $75,000 maiden race was won by heavily favored Great Island, trained by Chad Brown. The 4-year-old Scat Daddy filly had just one prior start, finishing second last October at Keeneland to Mean Mary, an eventual multiple graded winner.
Ten meet in turf mile
A well-matched field of 10 3-year-olds and upward will clash in the nominal Sunday feature, a $77,000 first-level allowance scheduled for a mile on the turf. Oak Hill figures among the core of favorites when looking to revert to a twoback maiden triumph at Saratoga for trainer Al Stall Jr.
First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with sunshine and a high of 73 in the local forecast. Live televised coverage is available on FS1 (12:30-4) and FS2 (4-5:30).
After Sunday, Churchill goes dark for two days before ending the 14-day September meet by running Wednesday through next Sunday, Sept. 27. Keeneland starts its 17-day fall meet Oct. 2.
Asmussen on the brink
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen could be reasonably expected to pass the 9,000-win milestone sometime this weekend, either at Churchill or one of the other handful of tracks where his far-flung stable is represented. Asmussen had 8,998 wins through Thursday and had a total of 28 entries Friday through Sunday.
Asmussen trails only Dale Baird among the all-time training leaders. Baird had 9,445 wins when he died in December 2007 at age 72.