Breeze Easy Doubles at KY Downs With Imprimis, Outadore

Breeze Easy had two runners entered in stakes Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs and swept both races, taking the $588,000 Runhappy Turf Sprint (G3T) with Imprimis and the $492,875 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint with Outadore.

Imprimis has now crossed the finish line first in both of his starts this year, though he was disqualified to third for interference in the Aug. 8 Troy Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. There was no question about his victory Saturday. The 6-year-old Broken Vow  gelding rallied from eighth and got up by a neck while three wide. He edged Front Run the Fed and Bombard, leaving those two to dead heat for second.

As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, Saturday's win awarded Imprimis an automatic berth in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland. Trainer Joseph Orseno Jr., who shook off feelings of the Troy, said that racet is the goal.

"None of us were happy about (the Troy disqualification). I'd say 90% of the people, because they're my friends or trying to make me feel better, they all thought we got a bad deal. But it is what it is," Orseno said. "You can't take the win away from the horse. He ran his heart out off a 10-month layoff. Went up there, and won that. We're going to get to our goal, that's the Breeders' Cup. He loves Keeneland. So we're pretty excited."

Imprimis was sixth in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park before returning in the Troy.

"I'd say three-quarters of (the time off) was by design. We did a throat surgery on him (a procedure known as a 'tie-back'). We weren't quite happy with it, so we went ahead and just touched it up again," Orseno said. "Instead of rushing him back, we talked about it with the racing manager and we said if he has two races before the Breeders' Cup, we'd be happy with that. We picked out the Troy like 10 months ago when he was on the table. We made the Troy and we liked the timing for this race."

Bombard set the pace in the Turf Sprint and ran a quarter-mile in :22.39, at which point Imprimis was fifth under Irad Ortiz Jr. Imprimis was shuffled back to eighth at the half-mile point, which Bombard ran in :45.95. Front Run the Fed also came from off the pace and was ahead of Imprimis, but that didn't stop the eventual winner from rallying strongly to complete the six furlongs on soft turf in 1:09.93. Behind Front Run the Fed and Bombard, Stubbins got up for fourth.

"He ran big. I rode him before on the soft turf at Pimlico, and I knew he handled it pretty good," Ortiz said of the winner. "So I wasn't afraid. I rode him with confidence. They moved outside of me, and I didn't want to see that, but they moved so I said let me just wait because it was a little early. When I tipped him out, he responded really well. He was coming."

Imprimis paid $8.00 as the favorite. His record stands at 8-0-2 from 15 starts and he has earned $759,948.

The gelding was bred in Florida by Craig Wheeler out of the Put It Back mare Shoppers Return and ran twice for his breeder before Breeze Easy's Mike Hall and Sam Ross purchased him.

"We bought the horse from Craig Wheeler and his wife Liz Wheeler," Hall said. "They're awesome people. They told me they were selling me a good horse. Some people you can believe and I have a lot of respect for them. They sold us a good horse. We've had a lot of success with him, the most fun horse I've ever owned. It's really great and now we're off to the Breeders' Cup."

Video: Runhappy Turf Sprint S. (G3T)

Outadore Goes 2-for-2

Two races earlier Breeze Easy's Outadore stayed perfect in his second outing and won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint by 1 3/4 lengths. The Outwork  colt completed the 6 1/2 furlongs on soft turf in 1:17.31 and paid $5.60 as the favorite. 

Ortiz was also aboard for the victory; he won four races during the afternoon.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Outadore bested his stablemate and runner-up Fauci. Cowan rallied for third and County Final was fourth after setting fractions of :21.79 and :46.50.

"He's a nice horse, really nice horse," Ortiz said of his winning mount. "He broke good over there. He probably needed that first race when he won. He was ready today. He knew what he was doing. He broke and pulled me right there. He relaxed so nice, when I asked he just went ahead. It felt like he had a little more in the tank today."

Ward said he believes both Outadore and Fauci will go a mile on the grass with no problem. He will likely split them up for their next race—one to the Oct. 3 Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park and one to the Oct. 4 Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. Both races are 1 1/16 miles, and the colts could be pointed to the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T).

Outadore was at 5 1/2 furlongs first time out July 26 on the Saratoga turf.

"He took a little while with some minor shin issues, as most 2-year-olds do. So we gave him the time," Ward said. "Sam Ross, his owner with Mike Hall, is a wonderful guy, and he's jumping up and down and screaming in West Virginia. That's the way you want these owners to be."

Outadore, who has earnings of $334,100, was bred in Kentucky by Deann Baer and Greg Baer out of the black-type-placed Tactical Cat mare Adore You. He is a half brother to stakes winners Mind Reader and Piedi Bianchi.

The gray or roan colt was originally purchased as a weanling for $140,000 by Ted Campion from the Wynnstay Sales consignment to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Breeze Easy then paid $290,000 for him at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale when he was consigned by Paramount Sales.

"The horse is going wonderful and Wesley is doing a good job with the horse," Hall said. "(Racing manager) Mike Mollica and I picked this horse out at Keeneland sale last year and we're back shopping this year. We're really happy with this horse and looking forward to going to the Breeders' Cup."

Video: Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S. (BT)