Bourbon Courage Has BC Sprint Blowout
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Bourbon Lane Stable's XpressBet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) contender Bourbon Courage had a good Oct. 27 blowout for the Nov. 1 event, breezing three furlongs in :34 1/5 at Keeneland for trainer Kellyn Gorder.
The 5-year-old Lion Heart runner comes off a strong Oct. 3 allowance win sprinting for the first time since his 3-year-old year, and will be in search of his first grade I victory when he arrives at Santa Anita Park. He won the 2012 Super Derby (gr. II) for his lone graded score.
Working after the morning renovation break and with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. up, Bourbon Courage galloped out four furlongs in :46.
"Ricardo drove over from Louisville to work him," trainer Kellyn Gorder said. "I got him in 12 and 2, 34 and 1 and out in 46. It was pretty good. I was real happy with him. Ricardo didn't even move on him."
"It was awesome, he worked real easy and he finished real fast, with the brakes on the whole way," said Bourbon Lane managing partner Mike McMahon. "He galloped out real quick and pulled up easy; he wanted to do so much more and was kicking and bucking the whole way back. We're just trying to keep him nice and fresh and happy."
Following that race, Gorder had indicated the Cigar Mile (gr. I) at Aqueduct Racetrack on Nov. 29 as a possible next start, but a five-furlong work in :59 3/5 on Oct. 20 convinced the connections to pre-enter the Breeders' Cup with the Sprint as his first preference.
Bourbon Courage comes into the Sprint with a 4-5-5 record from 19 starts with earnings of $975,877. He is scheduled to join the remaining Breeders' Cup shippers headed to California from Kentucky on an Oct. 29 flight.