Finnegans Wake Back for Whittingham
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Finnegans Wake
Trainer Peter Miller was forward about his intentions bringing grade I winner Finnegans Wake back off a nearly nine-month layoff last time out in the Thunder Road (gr. IIIT)—it was a prep for bigger and better things.
With that in mind, the 7-year-old Powerscourt horse could be primed for a big run in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes (gr. IIT) May 29 at Santa Anita Park.
Finnegans Wake, who won four graded events from late November 2014 to May 2015 capped by a victory in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT), made mild gains to finish sixth in the one-mile Thunder Road at a distance he had not raced at since 2013, 21 starts prior. At the Whittingham's 1 1/4-mile distance on turf, Finnegans Wake has two graded victories—in the 2015 San Marcos (gr. IIT) and the 2014 Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT).
He also has intriguing recent works, including a one-mile breeze at Miller's San Luis Rey Training Center base in 1:38 1/5.
The likely favorite, however, figures to be 2014 Brazilian Triple Crown winner Bal a Bali, who will be making his first U.S. start beyond 1 1/8 miles in the Whittingham. In Brazil, the son of Put It Back was a group I winner at 1 1/4 miles and 1 1/2 miles on the grass.
The Richard Mandella-trained runner hasn't won since an allowance score at Del Mar in October, but he has hit the board in his four starts since, all graded events, including a neck third last time out in the San Francisco Mile (gr. IIIT) April 30 at Golden Gate Fields.
The only last-out winners in the field are Quick Casablanca, who won the 1 7/8-mile San Juan Capistrano Stakes (gr. IIIT) April 10, and Patentar, an allowance victor at Santa Anita in February.
BALAN: 'Casablanca' Dominant in San Juan Capistrano
The ones to catch appear to be allowance race winner A Red Tie Day and Si Sage, the 2015 Last Tycoon Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner at 1 1/4 miles.
Completing the field is grade II dirt winner Blingo, former claimer Montego Bay, and allowance winners Play Hard to Get and Royal Albert Hall.
Charles Whittingham S. (gr. IIT)
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, May 29, 2016, Race 8
- 1 1/4m
- Turf
- $200,000
- 3 yo's & up
- 5:29 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Blingo (KY) | Alex O. Solis | 121 | John A. Shirreffs | 8/1 |
| 2 | 2Patentar (FR) | Alonso Quinonez | 121 | Simon Callaghan | 15/1 |
| 3 | 3A Red Tie Day (KY) | Mario Gutierrez | 121 | Richard Baltas | 6/1 |
| 4 | 4Montego Bay (KY) | Drayden Van Dyke | 121 | Neil D. Drysdale | 10/1 |
| 5 | 5Bal a Bali (BRZ) | Flavien Prat | 121 | Richard E. Mandella | 5/2 |
| 6 | 6Royal Albert Hall (GB) | Rafael Bejarano | 121 | Doug F. O'Neill | 6/1 |
| 7 | 7Si Sage (FR) | Mike E. Smith | 121 | James M. Cassidy | 15/1 |
| 8 | 8Play Hard to Get (KY) | Kent J. Desormeaux | 121 | J. Eric Kruljac | 20/1 |
| 9 | 9Finnegans Wake (KY) | Victor Espinoza | 121 | Peter Miller | 5/1 |
| 10 | 10Quick Casablanca (CHI) | Tyler Baze | 121 | Ronald L. McAnally | 4/1 |