Hashtag Bourbon Could Be Trending in Iroquois

Bourbon Lane Stable's Hashtag Bourbon will try to add a second straight stakes win and more luster to the strong start by his freshman sire Super Saver   in the $100,000 Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) Sept. 6 at Churchill Downs.

Less than one week after sons of Super Saver finished one-two in the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course, Hashtag Bourbon will try to become the freshman sire's third graded- stakes winner this year when he breaks from the rail in the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds. Hashtag Bourbon is one of two stakes winners among the nine juveniles entered.

Sons of leading first-crop sire Super Saver, Competitive Edge and I Spent It, himself a grade II winner, finished first and second in the Hopeful Sept. 1.

Trained by Kellyn Gorder, Hashtag Bourbon finished third in his maiden debut in June at Churchill, a race won by expected Iroquois rival Mr. Z, before delivering a 4 1/2-length victory in the Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes Aug. 2 in West Virginia. Out of the Robyn Dancer mare Waltzing With Deb, who has produced 12 winners from as many starters including grade II-placed Wild Horses and stakes-placed Waltzing With Blue, Hashtag Bourbon was bred in Kentucky by Farfellow Farms.

"I expect him to maybe be a little closer than he was in his last race," Gorder said. "He's also breaking better each time he runs. His first race, he basically just stood there in the gate; he didn't break well at all. I think he should handle the distance fine."

The Iroquois will provide some interesting ties to this year's top juvenile dirt races at Saratoga. Zayat Stables' Mr. Z finished second to I Spent It in the Saratoga Special Stakes (gr. II) one start after finishing a close runner-up in the Sanford Stakes (gr. III) at Saratoga. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the son of Malibu Moon   already has a win at Churchill, which came in his maiden special weight debut June 28 when he rallied from third to defeat Hashtag Bourbon.

The Iroquois field also includes Dekabrist, a stakes winner this year at Gulfstream Park who finished fifth in Monday's Hopeful Stakes. The Street Boss   colt is owned and trained by Gennadi Dorochenko.

The Iroquois is the first Road to the Kentcuky Derby points race used to determine the 2015 Derby field should more than 20 horses be entered. The Iroquois also is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I).

Also scheduled to start in the Iroquois is Lucky Player, who enters off a close second in the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile Stakes; and maiden race winners Holy Frazier, Cleveland Sound, Danny Boy, Bold Conquest, and The Gorilla Man. 

Debut winner Danny Boy is owned by Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing and trained by Dale Romans. They teamed to claim the top two spots in last year's Iroquois with longshots Cleburne and Smart Cover.