Wise Dan Works, Woodbine Mile Most Likely
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A vacationing clocker meant the Aug. 17 move of Wise Dan was not recorded at Keeneland, but trainer Charlie LoPresti said the two-time Horse of the Year moved closer to a likely start in the Sept. 13 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) with his third straight breeze on dirt.
Wise Dan, a two-time winner of the Woodbine Mile and also a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) winner, is on the comeback trail after suffering a non-displaced fracture at the bottom of the cannon bone of his right front fetlock. He has not raced since winning his second edition of the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland last October, but has now turned in five works since returning to the tab in July. Another Breeders' Cup run over his home course Oct. 31 is his ultimate target for the season.
NOVAK: Wise Dan Back in Keeneland Breeze
On LoPresti's watch for this latest move, the 8-year-old son of Wiseman's Ferry breezed six furlongs in 1:14, going in company and galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26 1/5.
"He worked very well," the trainer said. "We put a horse in front of him and he caught him; he was full of run the last part, he galloped out a long ways. We pressed him pretty good. I wanted to get a real good work in him, and he finished out real strong."
LoPresti said he texted the times for Wise Dan's work to the Keeneland clocker, although they have not been posted yet.
"He's coming along really good," the trainer remarked. "He's got probably two more works and then I'll take him to Dr. (Larry) Bramlage right before he goes to Woodbine. That gives me a little bit more time with him; he's got an appointment the first week of September with Dr. Bramlage, it's a 'Win and You're In' Breeders' Cup race, it's not a handicap... there's a lot of things that make sense about running there.
"I think it fits into the schedule a little bit better (than the Sept. 7 grade II Bernard Baruch at Saratoga Race Course), although we haven't completely ruled out the Bernard Baruch. But Woodbine is what we're looking at."
Wise Dan, a six-time Eclipse Award winner bred in Kentucky by owner Morton Fink out of the Wolf Power mare Lisa Danielle, has 23 victories and two seconds from 31 starts, good for earnings of more than $7.5 million. He was named Horse of the Year in 2013 and 2012, and swept the titles for champion turf male and champion older male in both of those seasons as well. Last year he won the Maker's 46 Mile (gr. IT), the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT), and the Bernard Baruch along with the Shadwell despite having his season interrupted by colic surgery.
NOVAK: Wise Dan Blows Away Shadwell Turf Mile Foes
Making this latest comeback, Wise Dan has returned to the worktab without issue.
"He's had two turf works and three solid dirt works," LoPresti said. "I just look at the weather and I look at my horse, sometimes I'll work him with seven days (between works), sometimes eight days. It just depends on how I think he's doing. When he tells me he's really sharp and he needs a work, he gets a work. He's been pretty regular on the worktab, but I won't run him until he gets checked one more time (by Dr. Bramlage)."