Dynamic Dan Does It Again

Wise Dan rallied to win the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Minutes after Wise Dan staged yet another breathtaking rally in a career full of them to win the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile by one length on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course, the “Great Debate” began.
Should the two-time defending Horse of the Year venture into unchartered waters by competing in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic or aim for a three-peat in the Mile?
Trainer Charles LoPresti added spice to the conversation by suggesting, during a post-race interview on NBC Sports Network, that the time might be at hand to ask the 7-year-old gelding to run farther than ever before by competing in the 1 ¼-mile Classic.
“He’s 7 years old. You never know how many races he has left,” said LoPresti. “Maybe now is the time to do it.”
He noted that the decision would be made by owner Morton Fink — and Fink clearly would need some convincing.
“If he’s healthy, if he’s well, he’ll be where he was the last two years,” Fink said.
At this point, Fink, LoPresti and racing fans everywhere are simply delighted to have Wise Dan all the way back after a life-threatening bout with colic. After returning from a layoff that extended from May 3 to Aug. 30, when he willed himself to a nose victory in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Race Course, he overcame all kinds of trouble here.
He was unprepared for the start and broke last. He fought jockey John Velazquez’s tight hold into the first turn. He appeared to be impossibly boxed in, forcing Velazquez to lose valuable real estate by swinging him six wide entering the lane.
But here came Wise Dan, powering past one rival after another, as the roar of the crowd seemingly increased with every stride. When his 15th win in 16 starts on turf was over, when he completed the mile in 1:35.62 and paid $3.80 to win, when Velazquez pumped his fist in jubilation, it was clear how far he had come since an illness that necessitated exploratory surgery.
“At the eighth pole, I was sure he was a winner,” LoPresti said. “That’s when he really started to lengthen his stride.”
WISE DAN AFTER SHADWELL TURF VICTORY

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
The one-length victory against Grand Arch provided the stiff test the trainer wanted leading into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.
“With the Bernard Baruch, this race, and the way he trained, it’s a matter of keeping him good,” LoPresti said. “I don’t know how much tighter he can get.”
Fink insisted his reluctance to compete in the Classic has nothing to do with the prospect of opposing heavyweights such as undefeated Shared Belief and Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome.
“If we ran in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, I would expect him to win,” he said.
Fink believes there is no reason to alter a strategy that worked so well before.
“He’s doing what he’s been doing, so there is no reason to change,” he said, adding, “We’ll run on the dirt next year, if he’s still around.”
A victory in the Classic would make a third straight Horse of the Year honor a virtual certainty. Otherwise, Wise Dan’s connections might have to hinge their hopes on an upset in the Classic to buoy their hopes.
LoPresti emphasized that he will continue to be motivated by what is best for the immensely popular gelding rather than year-end honors.
“I don’t know about Horse of the Year or anything like that,” he said. “He’s my Horse of the Year.”
In other key races on Saturday:
Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity: Carpe Diem looms as one of the top contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after he made a sensational jump from a victory at 5 ½ furlongs in his first career start to a dominant score in this 1 1/16-mile contest. Jockey John Velazquez said he worked on teaching the son of Giant’s Causeway to settle behind horses in the early going. The colt gradually accelerated during the backstretch run without urging. “It was all him,” Velazquez said. 
CARPE DIEM

First Lady: Dayatthespa, a 5-year-old New York-bred mare who has been a model of consistency for trainer Chad Brown, delivered her 10th victory in 17 career starts. She patiently bided her time behind front-running Istanford before surging to a 1 ¼-length decision against late-running Better Lucky.
DAYATTHESPA

Woodford Stakes: No Nay Never, competing for the first time since a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 1, bested longshot Mongol Bull by half a length for jockey Mike Smith and trainer Wesley Ward.  
NO NAY NEVER

Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes: Leigh Court unleashed a tremendous closing kick to pull an upset for patient jockey Gary Boulanger. Leigh Court finished three lengths ahead of Southern Honey.
LEIGH COURT