from Turfway Park
A field of at least 10, headed by Lori and George Hall’s West Side Bernie, appears likely for the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes for 3-year-olds at Turfway Park March 21.
West Side Bernie, trained by Kelly Breen, won the Kentucky Cup Juvenile (gr. III) on the Polytrack at Turfway last September, and most recently finished third in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31. Last year, the colt by Bernstein out of the Gilded Time mare Time Honored finished second in the Boyd Gaming Delta Jackpot (gr. III).
West Side Bernie was shipped from Florida and arrived at Turfway March 14. He jogged on the track the following day.
“We wanted to make sure he got over the trip and get his body moving,” Breen said. “He looks good, eating well—all the things you want them to do coming out of a trip.”
With Breen aboard, West Side Bernie galloped a little over a mile March 16, and will keep that routine through the week. He worked four furlongs in :48.80 at Palm Meadows Training Center March 12 and will not breeze again before the 1 1/8-mile Lane’s End.
“His last workout, I was ready for a little faster time,” Breen said. “There was a pretty strong headwind, but when it came up (:48.80), at first I was like, ‘Are you OK, Bernie?’ But I’d told the rider not to go too-too fast, and then when the workouts came out it was fourth of 21, and I said, ‘Well, the track was a little dead, and the headwind was pretty good.’ ”
Edgar Prado, who won the Lane’s End last year with Adriano, has the mount on West Side Bernie.
Breen ran a public stable until last year, when he began to train privately for the Halls. The connections also plan to run King Puma in the $50,000 Hansel Stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs on the Lane’s End undercard. The Forest Wildcatcolt is two for three with a victory in the Fitz Dixon Memorial Juvenile on the artificial Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs & Casino last year.
Jim Scatuorchio and John Iracane’s Bittel Road is expected for the Lane’s End. The son of Stormy Atlantic exits solid fourth-place finishes in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park last December and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II at Santa Anita Park Feb. 7.
In the Lewis, Bittel Road was beaten two lengths by Pioneerof the Nile , who came back to capture the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) March 14 at Santa Anita. Third in the Lewis was I Want Revenge , who followed with a blowout 8 1/4-length win in the Gotham Stakes (gr. II) March 7 at Aqueduct.
“The form of his races has been holding up well,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He has been racing against Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge, but the key now will be to see how he transfers his races at Hollywood and Santa Anita to what is a little different synthetic surface at Turfway Park.
“We’re going to see how this race goes, and then we can decide whether to train him up to the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) or run once more, in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II).”
Garrett Gomez is named to ride Bittel Road, who won the Bourbon Stakes (gr. IIIT) last fall at Keeneland. The colt will ship to Kentucky March 18, Pletcher said.
After setting the early pace before finishing fifth in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 14, A.P. Cardinal will try an all-weather surface for the first time in the Lane’s End. The A.P. Indycolt is owned by Ol Memorial Stable and C.E. Glasscock.
“It’s an unknown, for sure,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “We think he has a high knee action and might like the Polytrack, so we’re going to give it a try. He didn’t like Tampa—he was spinning his wheels there. The timing of the Lane’s End is just right, so we’re going to go there.”
A.P. Cardinal will ship to Turfway from Florida March 19. Also on the flight will be West Point
Thoroughbreds’ Fitz Just Right, who will compete in the $150,000 Bourbonnette Oaks (gr. III) on the Lane’s End undercard. The Seattle Fitzfilly won the OBS Championship in Ocala, Fla., Feb. 16 on a synthetic surface.
Other likely starters as of March 16 are Dynamite Bob, Flying Private, Hold Me Back, Jack Spratt, Loch Dubh, Orthodox, and Parade Clown. Proceed Bee is on the fence between the Lane’s End and $100,000 Rushaway Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the undercard.
The Lane’s End will be the 10th of 12 races, with first post set for 1:10 p.m. EDT. The Lane’s End will be televised from 5-6 p.m. on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Horse Racing Radio Network.
Here are the probable starters, with trainers, for the other stakes at Turfway March 21:
$100,000 Rushaway Stakes (1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds)
Dueling Alex (trainer Cam Gambolati)
Fitzaslew (Ken McPeek)
Gresham (James Baker)
Ninth Client (D. Wayne Lukas)
No Inflation (Tom Proctor)
Sundays Baby Grand (Jackie Christenson)
Toccet Rocket (Brian La Mew)
Ziegfeld (Dale Romans)
$150,000 Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III, one mile, for 3-year-old fillies)
Fitz Just Right (Kiaran McLaughlin)
Hot Cha Cha (Phil Sims)
Instrumentalist (Tom Drury Jr.)
Ocoluna (Darrin Miller)
Step Out Smartly (Rusty Arnold)
Stone Legacy (D. Wayne Lukas)
Super Poni (Keith Chudzik)
Walloon (Katherine Ball)
$50,000 Hansel Stakes (six furlongs for 3-year-olds)
He Ain’t Right (Bill Denzik Jr.)
King Puma (Kelly Breen)
Music City (Bill Helmbrecht)
Rudy Flyer (Bill Connelly)
Shanes Gold (John Good)
Turfiste (Bob Holthus)
$50,000 Queen Stakes (six furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up)
Hadavision (Mike Maker)
Just for Keeps (Mike Maker)
Miss A. Bomb (Phil Sims)
Natalicat (Tim Schuh)
Proud Heiress (Wayne Mogge)
Tactical Candy (Luis Seglin)
Tosca’s Kiss (David Ashcraft)
Victorianna (Eddie Kenneally)