Wildman Jack to Try Keeneland in Shakertown

Trainer Doug O'Neill was having a bit of difficulty finding a turf sprint for his graded stakes winner Wildman Jack, so when Keeneland announced it would hold a summer meet, the 5 1/2-furlong Shakertown Stakes (G2T) became an option.

The $150,000 stakes for 3-year-olds and up has drawn an overflow field of 14 for the rescheduled July 11 running, and Wildman Jack drew post 2.

"You know, there's nothing at Del Mar for him until like … mid-August. I could have that wrong, but it's a while down the road," O'Neill said. "And, you know, the fact that we're dreaming, like a lot of others, of competing in the Breeders' Cup this year with our horse, and the fact it is going to be there at Keeneland, I thought it was a great place to ship and try it out and win, lose, or draw, make some adjustments."

W. C. Racing's Wildman Jack has won half of his eight starts and placed in three others. After Wildman Jack closed his 3-year-old season with a score in an allowance optional claiming race at Del Mar, O'Neill shipped the Goldencents  gelding to Dubai, where he made his season debut in a Feb. 6 handicap but finished fourth at Meydan Racecourse.

In his next start, Wildman Jack set the track record while cruising to a dominant victory in the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint Sponsored By Arabian Adventures (G3), completing six furlongs on the Meydan turf course in 1:07.61.

Upon returning stateside and to the West Coast, Wildman Jack won the May 23 Daytona Stakes (G3T) by a nose at Santa Anita Park while traveling the same distance as the Shakertown.

"He had a great trip to Dubai. He was over there for about three months and really flourished and matured well, and he's come back and he kept his form really well," O'Neill said. "Mike Smith gets back on him, and I'm sure with a 14-horse field at Keeneland, it's going to look very much like a Breeders' Cup turf sprint race, so we need everything to go our way, and hopefully it does."

Wildman Jack will face several veterans who could make his task less than easy.

To his inside is 7-year-old Extravagant Kid, who has won eight stakes in 42 starts and placed in 11 more, including a runner-up finish in last year's Highlander Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine. The Kiss the Kid gelding trained by Brendan Walsh is coming off a May 29 allowance score at Churchill Downs. After winning the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park to kick off the year, Extravagant Kid placed fifth in the Feb. 22 Turf Dash Stakes but did not race again until May.

To Wildman Jack's outside is Al Stall Jr. trainee Real News, a 4-year-old The Factor  colt who finished fourth behind Extravagant Kid in the May allowance test. Real News won his season debut, the Jan. 26 Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park, over another Shakertown entrant, Fast Boat. Last year he placed third in the Penn Mile Stakes (G2T) on yielding turf in his only graded stakes try.

Tiger Blood is another well-seasoned turf sprint veteran heading into the Shakertown. The 7-year-old Cowtown Cat  gelding has raced 46 times, and most of his 19 wins came at five furlongs. In fact, Tiger Blood has won four of five starts in 2020, with his only loss coming in the Little Magician Stakes going one mile.

In his most recent victory, Tiger Blood, who was previously trained by Steve Klesaris, was claimed for $62,500 by trainer Mike Maker in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream, where he was based. He will race from post 11 in his first graded start and first race at Keeneland for his new connections.

Entries: Shakertown S. (G2T)

Keeneland, Saturday, July 11, 2020, Race 6

• Grade IIT
• 5 1/2f
• Turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:51 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Extravagant Kid (FL)	Joel Rosario	121	Brendan P. Walsh	6/1
2	2Wildman Jack (KY)	Mike E. Smith	123	Doug F. O'Neill	5/2
3	3Real News (KY)	Colby J. Hernandez	123	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	15/1
4	4Tell Your Daddy (KY)	James Graham	121	Neil L. Pessin	30/1
5	5Just Might (KY)	Alex Achard	123	Michelle Lovell	50/1
6	6Smart Remark (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Victoria H. Oliver	50/1
7	7Fast Boat (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Joe Sharp	8/1
8	8Bound for Nowhere (KY)	Julio A. Garcia	121	Wesley A. Ward	5/2
9	9Texas Wedge (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Peter Miller	6/1
10	10Totally Boss (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	123	George R. Arnold, II	8/1
11	11Tiger Blood (FL)	Luis Saez	121	Michael J. Maker	12/1
12	12Corruze (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	123	Chris A. Hartman	50/1
13	13Leinster (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	George R. Arnold, II	12/1
14	14Shared Legacy (KY)	Declan Cannon	121	Murat Sancal	50/1
15	15Nitrous (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1