Got Stormy Continues Turf Sprint Bid in Franklin County
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coady Photography
Got Stormy wins a soggy running of the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs
Having passed her first test in a grass sprint last month at Kentucky Downs, Got Stormy readies for the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland with a race on the same course and trip Oct. 9 in the $150,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T).
At 5 1/2 furlongs on the Keeneland grass, the conditions replicate those of the Turf Sprint, though not the quality. The race is restricted to fillies and mares, and the Turf Sprint is an open race at the highest level, one that draws some of the best horses from all over the world.
Not that Got Stormy has much to prove from a class perspective. The dual grade 1 winner ran second in the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) last fall, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by fellow female Uni.
This year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is more inclined to pursue the Turf Sprint with Got Stormy, believing the distance could suit her better if the Keeneland course is wet and tiring next month, as it can be at times in November in Kentucky.
It is likely to be firm Friday. As of midday Oct. 6, the long-term forecast called for dry conditions leading up to the race.
The race presents a challenge. The 2-3 finishers behind her in the 6 1/2-furlong Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes (G3T), Winning Envelope and Into Mystic, are back, and the race also drew grass speedsters Surrender Now, Jakarta, Violent Times, and others.
It also attracted a turf newcomer in Chalon, who has earned almost $1 million by winning nine of 22 starts on dirt.
"For me, the Buffalo Trace is a way to get a race over the turf course and see if she can actually handle 5 1/2" furlongs, Casse said. "I would be shocked if she can't, but there are some nice fillies in there."
The 5-year-old Get Stormy mare owned by Gary Barber totes the heftiest bankroll in the race at $1.9 million.
Video
Though other trainers might have opted to await the Breeders' Cup after the Sept. 12 Ladies Sprint Stakes, in which Got Stormy drew clear by 3 1/4 lengths under confident handling from regular rider Tyler Gaffalione, Casse didn't feel the need to give her almost two months off.
The Franklin County will be the shortest race of her 25-race career.
"We don't worry about our win percentage. We run our horses," he said after commending Kenny McPeek for his training of the actively raced Swiss Skydiver, the winner of the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes (G1). "Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But you can't win it if you're not in it."
Speed horses Into Mystic and Jakarta are two leading threats to Got Stormy, who played a stalking role in her first grass sprint.
Late-running Winning Envelope should finish strongly and is back on a course where she has a win and a fifth in two local grass starts.
Keeneland, Friday, October 09, 2020, Race 9Entries: Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Bohemian Bourbon (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
120
Ian R. Wilkes
20/1
2
2Into Mystic (KY)
Joseph Talamo
120
Brendan P. Walsh
6/1
3
3Surrender Now (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
15/1
4
4Tomlin (KY)
James Graham
120
Michael Stidham
50/1
5
5Jakarta (PA)
Javier Castellano
120
Michael J. Maker
6/1
6
6Violent Times (PA)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Ralph E. Nicks
30/1
7
7Winning Envelope (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
120
Chris M. Block
10/1
8
8Change of Control (KY)
Colby J. Hernandez
122
Michelle Lovell
15/1
9
9Stillwater Cove (KY)
Gerardo Corrales
120
Wesley A. Ward
8/1
10
10Got Stormy (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
124
Mark E. Casse
6/5
11
11Chalon (KY)
Rafael Bejarano
120
Arnaud Delacour
12/1
12
12Ambassador Luna (FL)
Florent Geroux
120
James M. Gulick
12/1
