Preakness Prattle: Bourbon War Tunes Up at Belmont

[Wandering Eyes]

Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable’s Bourbon War (Tapit) breezed five furlongs in 1:01.67 (XBTV video) over a fast Belmont main track Thursday morning and remains on track for a start in the May 18 GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Race Course.

“I thought it went great,” trainer Mark Hennig said following the work. “He was a little aggressive. We put those short-cup blinkers on him to make him more aggressive and I sent him off with [stablemate] Carlino (Lemon Drop Kid). I think he was just being sharp. He got away from Carlino early and basically just kind of maintained that margin.

“It wasn’t quite how I wanted to draw it up,” Hennig admitted. “I thought they would be right together, but I can understand that Bourbon War was a little more amped up. Carlino likes to come from the clouds.”

A son of GISW My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller), Bourbon War defeated subsequent GIII Sunland Derby winner Cutting Humor (First Samurai) in a January allowance at Gulfstream, then just missed catching Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) in the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. the following month. Pace compromised when fourth to Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby, the $410,000 Keeneland November weanling was originally penciled in for this weekend’s GIII Peter Pan S. at Belmont, but Hennig elected to call an audible.

“I watched the Derby and kept on top of all the developments through the week,” Hennig said. “Omaha Beach (War Front) isn’t part of the scene, Haikal (Distorted Humor) isn’t part of the scene. If Omaha Beach runs in the Derby and wins by 10, maybe we’d go a different direction, but the way it unfolded, the Florida horses ran superb and we felt like we deserved to be competitive with those horses, as we were all winter.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call for the Preakness.

Warrior’s Charge To Be Supplemented…

Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables LLC’s Warrior’s Charge (Munnings), ultra-impressive in winning his two most recent starts at Oaklawn Park by a combined 12 1/2 lengths, will be supplemented to the Preakness, trainer Brad Cox confirmed Thursday. Not an original nominee to the Triple Crown, the Florida-bred colt must be paid up at 10% of the Preakness purse, or $150,000.

“The owners got together and thought with some of the [Derby] horses not going back in the Preakness–I don’t want to use the word short field but not a full field yet–they’re definitely going to entertain it,” Cox said. “But we’re pointing to it, and as of right now, we would enter in the race.”

Warrior’s Charge is set to be one of two in the race for Cox, who will also saddle GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. winner Owendale (Into Mischief). Javier Castellano has accepted the mount aboard Warrior’s Charge.

 

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